DEG. 6 
lltaimu) for fljr )Jouno. 
A CONCENTRATED TOOL CHEST. 
My Deaji Nephews i— There can be no doubt 
that your uncle is growing young again. Yester¬ 
day was rainy, and I passed the time tn-doors Ly¬ 
ing on my study table was this little Tool-Holder, 
and Hand-Vise, both sent to me from The Iir- 
kal onsee. In a polite note the publisher begged 
my acceptance of tbe prestgii, addlDg “ that, if I 
would try them and tell him what I thought of 
their utility, he would feel obliged.” It was very 
Iclod of him, and I thought the least I could do was 
to try them. Alas 1 Those Innocent-looking tools 
made me loose the entire day. I'm going to tell 
you about it, and take a mean reveuge on The 
Rural. 
The Tool-Holder Is as you see, a nicely polished 
ease of hard maple, hollow, and screwing together. 
In It are some twenty cast-steel tools which I 
found to include ten brad awls of various sizes, a 
gouge, wood reamer. Iron reamer, harness needle, 
screw-driver and scratch awl. The jaw tor hold¬ 
ing these tools Is a patent adjustable affair that 
spreads wide enough to clasp and hold firmly an 
eight-inch rile, or shuts close enough to hold a 
cambric needle. The hand-vise is just as handy a 
piece of mechanism as one could wish. 
it occurred to me that first i would show them to 
John, my hired man, and that was my first mis¬ 
take. He suggested that I try the harness needle 
on some repairs. After three hours' work I had 
mended everything In the stable, and started for 
the house Tor dinner, l showed the tool-holder to 
your Aunt True. It was just what she had been 
looking for. Remembering my experience with 
John, 1 offered to make her a present of both arti¬ 
cles, as I had something important to attend to. 
She wouldn’t listen to that, proposition, but sug¬ 
gested I should show her how the tools were used. 
That finished me. For four hours I was busy, 
mending shelves, bells, and a dozen other things, 
I was glad enough to escape. During the evening 
I wanted to do a little mending In my study and 
looked about lor the tool-holder. It had disap¬ 
peared ! I •• raised the roof” and declared I never 
could keep anything I At this John came In, look¬ 
ing sheepish, and confessed that the thing was 
so handy, he though t he would keep it at t he barn, 
" As you know, Mister True,” he said, “ 1 can use 
It to better advantage than yourself.” 
That Is the end of my Tool-Holder. Now. boys, 
if you want aptulet time, and don't care to be a 
-‘handy’’ boy, and do the mending for the entire 
family, don't do as Tut Rciiai. asks you, viz. 
-Send them five subscribers, at $ 2.00 each, and re¬ 
ceive the Tool-Holder and Hand-Vise for your 
trouble. Uncle True. 
--- 
THAT BROTHER OF MINE. 
Or, Horticulture and Fan lu-duors. 
■“Do brother Will, come and see this Hyacinth 
bursting tbe frozen earth In my cocoa-nut vase!” 
“ tes, here it Is Bliss, The cultivation of the 
Hyacinth all In a nut shell. But isn’t the flower 
bud coming out like a regular aodpa goat! and the 
slight Iroeze, he has escaped unhurt; but how Is 
your Wandering dew in old Beauty-cow’s horn, on 
the window sill V ” 
•■oh! my cornucopia Is ruined. The Trades- 
oantla Is frozen; but I shall try the dark closet 
which restored my Geraniums last year.” 
“ Yes, sister, a dark closet is good for frozen 
plants, preserves, and other sweet things like 
naughty girls—and boys.” 
“ You speak from experience brother, but I 
think It wus the preserves rather than the dark¬ 
ness that brought you out sweet-tempered from 
your lock-up.” 
“ Yes, and who knows but that striped stragg¬ 
ling Israelite or yours may strLke a new sfra/kand 
wander In the dark, as 1 did when I found those 
fruits—fruits of perseverance, and come out as 
variegated as I did, needing a bath, too.” 
“ Come, brother. It Is too cold for the plants in 
the window at night, make me another corner 
bracket near the fire. Here Is a square box; 
wliUe I hold it up inverted with one comer fitting 
Into the corner of the room, you drive a nail 
through each side into the wall. I can cover It 
with mo3s and fasten a moss-covered branch with 
three twigs, beneath It apparently to support it. 
You will have to stand on something, for the higher 
we place the bracket, the better; you know the 
warm air rises.” 
“Yes, and that Is why I grow hot-headed as 1 
grow older, If father Is right In what he says.” 
“ 1 hope you’ll keep growing, brother, till rare - 
Jaction will make you cool-headed, and the heat 
will strike at the right place to make you warm¬ 
hearted. It makes little difference about the pedal 
extremities If they are in the right path.” 
"Hurrah for the big words. What does pedal 
mean v” 
“Pedal means foofi-pedcstal, pedestrian, peddlar, 
don't you see they all bear some foot signifi¬ 
cance,” 
“Ob! yes, now 1 understand why peduncle 
means the stalk of a flower. But tell me, Bliss, 
why Is Lncle Mark our ped-uncle ?" 
“ I don't know unless Ills because he holds up 
the flowers for the Horticultural Club to examine. 
Now, the moss is beautllully arranged and I 
hope my Tradescantla will revive and wander over 
It as naturally as over the moss-grown rocks In Its 
native woods.” Mbs. M. L. S. 
-- — »♦ »■ 
WINTER EVENINGS ON THE FARM. 
Ake not long,wlnter evenings a delightful sea- 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
son on the farm ? What a pleasant picture one 
may behold on looking Into a cozy farm-house 
some fine evening of the coming winter or even 
now In late fall. Around the fireside are gathered 
the members of the family. The fanner Is per¬ 
haps reading aloud from the family paper while 
the housewife is busy at some light work. The 
younger members of the family are engaged la 
getting their lessons for to-morrow’s school, read¬ 
ing and playing ;or it may be the larger girls are 
doing some fancy work while their brothers are 
making brackets, picture frames etc., on the 
scroll saw for what home is complete without 
one of these machines 7 It is really astonlshlug 
what ornamental and useful articles an Ingenious 
boy with a scroll saw can make. Will not some 
of the Rubai- Cousins toll us what t hey are mak¬ 
ing these evenings with their scroll saws? This 
would be a new topic for them to write about, and 
they could undoubtedly give one another many 
useful hints on the subject. 
Social intercourse with neighbors and friends 
should also be cultivated these long winter even¬ 
ing's. Where the tone of society Is pure nothlDg 
Is more refining and educating or better calculated 
to arouse a healthy ambition In the young, than to 
let them mingle with neighbors and friends hi a 
social frolic occasionally. Let tlielr games be di¬ 
rected by some self-posses ed, good-natured and 
kindly aunt tor whom all have respect and every¬ 
thing will go smoothly. While the writer was a 
boy among the New Hampshire hills. It was cus¬ 
tomary for neighbors to visit each other frequently, 
and I ihlnk it resulted in much good for the young 
folks, such pleasant visits not only cultivate a 
kindly feeling, but they make childhood happier 
and fill the memory with life-long, treasured re¬ 
collections. f. n. d. 
Steuben Co., N. Y. 
-»-» 4 - 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS. 
Dear Uncle At ark and Cousins:— Our lo¬ 
cality w r as visited by a refreshing rain about tbe 
middle of August. Which to the parched earth 
was like a cooling draught to a thirsty person In 
a mid-summer day. We, prompted hy experience, 
took advantage of the rain and commenced 
planting, and have long since gathered the fruits 
or this little seasonable effort. We had fine 
watermelons, squashes, and cucumbers, aud will 
soon have other vegetables that grow here all 
winter. Okra and butter-beans arc bearing splen¬ 
didly. The melons and cucumbers we make doubly 
useful as they are valuable for plektug and pre¬ 
serving. The sunsets here arc lovely. We wish 
our cousins could see the retiring sun with its 
streams of gold and lakes of silver, as viewed from 
our seaside home; It Is a view beautiful beyond de¬ 
scription. We have heard persons remark that It 
could be ravorably compared to the sunset of Italy 
of which so much has been said and written. 
Many thanks to Cousin Ivy for his sympathy. His 
description of the fading forest reminds us of an 
expression of one who has long since found the 
rest of salats, namely that the forests of the East¬ 
ern and Middle .States In autumn and the dying 
dolphins might In a certain sense be compared. 
Although nature is wearing such a spring-like 
appearance here, the flocks of birds and a 
liigh northern wind reminds us that a change of 
seasons Is approaching. Many thanks to Uncle 
Mark for the grape seeds. We have them planted 
according to directions. The Rural and Rural 
Cousins have the kind wishes of the 
Refugio, Tex. Two Sisters. 
Uncle Make— Dear Sir: Please accept my thanks 
lor the engraving. It Is very nice, and I think you 
are very kind to your nephews anil nieces. I was 
much surprised on receiving the grape seed, and 1 
hope that I shall have success In raising grape 
vines from them. 1 have some thirty varieties of 
house plants. Our fair Is a thing of the past., but 
Floral Hall was gorgoous with floral displays of 
both cut flowers and house plants. All of the 
other divisions In that hall were full also, anil the 
organs dispensed music to the crowd. Agricultural 
Ilall contained the usual display of grains, fruits 
and dairy products, with the exception of corn, of 
which but little was present, in the baking de¬ 
partment was a ginger-cookie old lady, with her 
apron and sun-bonnet, and lunch-basket on her 
arm, and a stick over her shoulder with strings of 
cookies, going to the fair. This piece of art work 
received first premium. In front of Mechanical 
Hall was a rooking-churn power. They said of it 
that one could rock the baby and do the churning 
at the same time, thereby killing two birds with 
one stone. In tbe Poultry House was a pair of 
goats that attracted a good dealol attention, espe¬ 
cially from the children. Among the stock near 
the Jerseys was an India or Sacred cow; It had a 
hump on Its back like a camel. Well, as we have 
reached the secretary’s office, we will pass out 
through the gate. Yours D uly, 
Allegany Co., N. Y. Eusehia A. Dickinson. 
Dear Uncle Mark;—I will write and tell you 
how 1 sowed the grape seed you sent me. I got 
papa to put. two partitions In a box three Inches 
deep, nine Inches wide, and fifteen inches long. 
Then 1 filled It with a mixture of garden soil and 
leaf mold, and in this I so wed the seeds. I am now 
patiently walling for them to come up. I like to 
read the letters from the cousins very much. 
Where are Blayer-of-Concelt and Mail-cap Molly 
and Itoeky Montaln .Toe 7 I never see any letters 
from them. I think 1 must bring my letter to a close. 
My love to all tbe cousins. Your affectionate niece, 
Bruce Cp., One. Amanda Burnham. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I would like to Jobi your 
Horticultural Club. I am eleven years old. I bad 
a garden last summer, in which 1 grew beans, Pe¬ 
tunias, Batchelor’s Buttons, etc., and 1 also raised 
some watermelons and muakmelons. I Bold some 
of my melons and made about a dollar by it. l 
like to read the letters from the cousins very much, 
ir this Is printed I will write again. 
St. Clair Co., Mo. Wight Bington. 
A MALTESE CROSS. 
Top—A name for a cat; an article used in the 
laundry; a consonant. 
Right—A sort of beer; a cape of N.E.; a personal 
pronoun. « 
Bottom—A city of Japan; to obtain; a consonant. 
Left—An arbor; a fish; a consonant. 
Center, Top—An animal. Right—A period. Bot¬ 
tom—A lady’s name. Left (when read up) —A lady's 
name. 
Downwards means expelled, and across means 
straying. 
Answer In two weeks. Little One. 
ACROSTICAL ENIGMA. 
My first Is In plate, but not, In dlsli; 
My second’s In meat, but not In fish; 
My third Is In pie, but not In cake; 
My fourth’s In tbe leaven used In the bake ; 
My fifth's In the pantry, not In the hall; 
My sixth's In the milk-room, not at a ball; 
My seventh's In the chamber, weaving warp; 
My eighth's lu the parlor, playing tbe harp; 
My ninth’s lu the laundry; my tenth’s In a chest. 
My whole Is a riddle I leave you to guess. 
Answer In two weeks. Mary Walev. 
-- 
HIDDEN VEGETABLES. 
1. NIC K. essayed to speak. 
2. Green, stagnant water breeds disease. 
3. Did you ever spin a chain. 
4. in an old caul I flowered. 
5. When divers go below they run much risk. 
0. Beg her kindly. 
7. I have a gum boll. 
S. The beggar licked the rowdy. 
9. Percy M. linked his fate, 
to. Shall other means be provided, 
li. The cook raved. 
tsr Answer In two weeks. Little One. 
PUZZLER ANSWERS—Nov. 22. 
Hidden Fruits.— 1. Sloe; 2. Mnzard; S. Whortle¬ 
berry, 4. Scholia; 5. Bayberry; 6. Shaddock;?. Non- 
nieburry; 8. Mangll steen; 9. Cheekerberry: 1(1. Musk- 
melon ; 11. MuUborry, 12. Quince; 13. llanmee; 14. 
Sour-sop ; 16, Sapadilis ; 1 H. Elderberry; 17. Darnsou ; 
18. Polk berry; 19, Pippin; 20. Blueberry: 21. Grab- 
apple ; 22. Cassava; 23. blackberry; 24. Ohlekauioya. 
Diagonal Pdzzlf,:— 
T 
A I 
P u G 
I d 1 E 
R i v e K 
l’rimals form " Tapir." 
Diagonals “ " Tiger." 
Pyramid Puzzle:— 
B r e A t h e 
Centrals form " Flea." 
DICKINSON’S ENGLISH. 
One thing our Bible revisers know enough to 
abstain from attempting: they will not undertake 
to Improve the English of the old version. The 
words of one of the most accomplished among 
them, the Rev. Dr. Chambers, would probably be 
assented to by all of them: “ It Is neither preju¬ 
dice nor thoughtlessness which affirms this book 
to be the first of English classics. I ndeed its pages 
speak for themselves. In simplicity and strength, 
In the union of Saxon force and Latin dignity, In 
Idiomatic ease and rhythmic flow they have no 
superior." 
This is not the narrow judgment of a devotee; 
literary men or all faiths aud of no faith agree Lu 
pronouncing the Bible a model of literary excel¬ 
lence. Mr. nuxley, who Is himself master of 
style, says, “It Is written in the noblest and 
purest English, and abounds In exquisite beauties 
of mere literary form.” Lord Macaulay and Mat¬ 
thew Arnold are equally positive in their praise. 
Indeed noL the least of the benefits that our Eng¬ 
lish Bible has conferred upon the people who 
have read It Is the Influence that It has had upon 
the language. In preserving It from corruption. 
" Perpetually In the hands of the people,” says 
Dr. Chambers, “ used In public and private wor¬ 
ship, resorted to In all controversies, employed In 
schools aud education, In short, a dally compan¬ 
ion from the cradle to the grave, It has so shaped 
the tastes and Judgments of men that, however 
for a time misled, they were always lu the end 
recalled to the older and belter model, and re¬ 
newed their adhesion to the pure *• well of English 
undefyed.” 
The Idgh estimate which is placed by them, and 
by most sensible men, upon the English ot the 
Bible bas not, however, been universally held. 
Now and then a tidal wave of euphuism or tur- 
glcllty lias swept over our literature, big words 
and stilted expressions have come Into fashion, 
and the victims of this verbal epidemic have 
sometimes been tilled with a great disgust for the 
simple Saxon style of the Bible, and have cried 
out for a new translation. 
One of the worst cases of this distemper was that 
of the llev. Rudolph us Dickinson, a clergyman of 
the Episcopal church In lids country who, so long 
ago as 1S33, made up his mind that the present 
English Bible was no longer to be endured on ac¬ 
count of Its Inelegance, and set about making a 
new translation. This is the way he discourses 
about It, In his preface: 
“The lapse of centuries has produced a revolu¬ 
tion In the English language, requiring a corre¬ 
spondent change in the version or the scriptures: 
and, 1 may add, that the errors lu grammar and 
rhetoric, the harsh and indelicate expressions, 
dispersed through the generally adopted text, 
demand amendment. The style of that transla¬ 
tion, regarding cither Its propriety, or purity, is, 
to a great extent-, obsolete. There Is much Inele¬ 
gance and Inaccuracy, in the selection of words, 
the structure of sentences, and In every compart¬ 
ment (sir) of composition. Elementary expres¬ 
sions. Individual and complex phrases of various 
description, pervade It, unknown to the existing 
advanced state of literature. If they were admis¬ 
sible, at the period of that publication, it Is suffi¬ 
cient to aver, that they are now exploded.” 
Mr. Dickinson now breaks forth in a panegyric 
upon “ the existing advanced state of literature” 
and so forth: “ The mansions of refinement are 
less haunted by the spectre of decayed or Impov¬ 
erished learning, cultivated life extensively re¬ 
coils from the familiar surveyor relics thatbelong 
to the quiet of the tomb. They are fast ceasing to 
deface the exquisite elegance of the literary and 
theological landscape. Luminaries more efful¬ 
gent enlighten and adorn the summits of the 
social state. A renewed lustre Illumines the 
vales,” and so on. As a consequence of this 
advancement, Mr. Dickinson thinks that It Is 
high time we had a more mellifluous and magnilo¬ 
quent Bible. “ While various other works, and 
especially those of the most trivial attainment, 
are diligently adorned with a splendid and sweetly 
flowing diction, why should the mere uninterest¬ 
ing Identity and paucity of language he so exclu¬ 
sively employed in rendering the word of God? 
Why should the Christian Scriptures be divested 
even of decent ornament ? Why should not an 
edition of tbe heavenly institution be furnished for 
the reading room, saloon and toilet, as well as for 
the church, school and nursery 7 for the literary 
and accomplished gentleman as well as for the 
plain and unlettered citizen?” It “the train of 
selfish, ordinary composulsta,” <»<c) should pre¬ 
vent this consummation, Mr. Dickinson predicts 
that “ the heavenly balm will be extensively un¬ 
tried; and the deprivation may cause many a 
valuable patient to be successfully visited by the 
lethargy of spiritual death.” 
Tiffs dlro calamity he will do what he can to 
avert. Therefore he offers his translation of the 
New Testament. A tew quotations from it are 
quoted, by way of showing the Revision Com¬ 
mittee how not to do It. 
" Broods of vipers! who has privately admon¬ 
ished you to fly from the approaching vengeance 1 
Produce, therefore, the appropriate fruit of ref¬ 
ormation 1” 
" When thou art beneficent, let not thy left 
hand be conscious of what thy right hand per¬ 
forms.” “ contemplate the lilies ot the field how 
they advance.” 
“Seek first the empire of God and the integrity 
he requires, and these 1 be superadded 
to you. Be not, therefore, anxious for to-morrow; 
since that will claim correspondent attention.” 
“At that time Jesus took occasion to say, I en¬ 
tirely concur with thee, o Father, Lord of heaven 
and earth, because having concealed these things 
from the wise and Intelligent, thou hast revealed 
them unto babes.” 
“Then his disciples approaching said to him, 
Art thou conscious that the Pharisees were ot- 
fended when they heard this observation? But 
he answering said, Every plantation which my 
heavenly father has not cultivated shall be ex¬ 
tirpated. And Peter replying said to him, “ Eluci¬ 
date this parable.” 
“His master said unto him, Well done, good 
and prudent servant! You were faithful In a 
limited sphere. I will give you a more exten¬ 
sive superintendence; participate In the happi¬ 
ness of your master.” 
“ Now Jesus, replete with the Holy Spirit re¬ 
turned from the Jordan. . . . And his renown 
pervaded all the adjacent country. And he In¬ 
structed In their synagogues with universal ap¬ 
plause.” 
“ Salt Is salutary; but if the salt has become 
vapid, how can It be restored ? 
•* Moreover there was a Pharisee whose name 
was Nlcodemus a senator of the Jews. He came 
to Jesus by night and said to him, Teacher, we 
know that thou art an Instructor emanated from 
God; for no one can achieve these miracles which 
thou performest unless God be with him. Jesus au- 
awered and said to him, Indeed I assure you that 
except a man be reproduced he cannot realize the 
reign of God. Nlcodemus says to ldm, How can 
a man be produced when he Is mature ? Can he 
again pass Into a state of embryo and be pro¬ 
duced? Jesus replied, I most assuredly declare 
to you that unless a man lie produced of water and 
of the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of 
God. ... Be uot surprised that 1 announced 
to thee, ye must be reproduced.” 
“Illsbrothers therefore said to him, Remove 
hence and repair to J udea that the disciples also 
m»y see the works that thou performest. For no 
one does anything in obscurity while he himself 
wishes to be in celebrity." 
“ForthLs tbe Father loves me, because I give 
up my life to bo afterwards resumed. No one di¬ 
vests me of it but I personally resign It. I have 
authority to surrender It, and I have authority to 
resume It. 
“There are numerous apartments in my Father’s 
tetnplo; if not 1 would have Informed you.” 
For corporeal exert Lon Is of rnluor advantage; 
but piety Is advantageous In all respects, having 
a promise of the present, and of the future lire.” 
“ This is a correct remark that it a man ar¬ 
dently wishes a spiritual superlutendency, he 
earnestly desires an honorable employment,” 
“And he said to me. It is accomplished. 1 am 
the Alpha and omega, the commencement aud 
the termination." 
These resplendent gems of speech have been 
selected at random from the pages of tula won¬ 
derful book. Writing equally fine can be found 
In almost every paragraph. Of coursu the nun 
who perpetrated this Udng honestly thought 
that, 1m was doing the church a great service; 
he did not know that he was making of himself a 
laughing-stock. Johnsonian Inflation must have 
been atlts lilght whim he was learning lo write, 
aiul his style Is an extreme Illustration of Its rid¬ 
iculous pomposity. The Johnsonese had Its day, 
but the people were soon ns sloa of It as they were 
of the continental currency, and willing enough 
to come back to plain Engllah. And while they 
have in their hands a book like the Bible, no 
stilted or tawdry fashion of speech can ever long 
prevail.— Sunday Afternoon. _ 
