Ay@ §6 
XUanum’s Work. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY L. TAPLIN. 
WHAT RULES THE WORLD. 
They say that man is mighty, 
He governs land and sea, 
He wields a mighty sceptre, 
O'er lesser powers that he; 
But a mightier power, and stronger, 
Man from his throne has hurled, 
" For the hand that rocks the cradle 
ts the band that rules the world.” 
In deep, mysterious conclave, 
‘Mid philosophic minds. 
Unraveling knotty problems, 
His native sphere man Hilda 
Yet all his ‘ ics - ’ and "isms” 
To heaven’s four winds are hurled, 
“For the hand that rocks the cradle 
Is the baud that rules the world.” 
Behold the bravo commander, 
Staunch 'mid the carnage stand, 
Behold the guidon dying, 
With the colors In bis hand : 
Brave men they be, yet craven, 
Wheu this banner is unfurled: 
“The hand that rocks the cradle 
Is the hand that rules the world.” 
Great statesmen govern nations, 
Klugs mould a people’s fate, 
But the unseen hands of velvet 
These giants regulate. 
The Iron arm of fortune 
With woman’s charm Is purled, 
“ For the hand that rocks the cradle 
Is the hand that rules the world.” 
—From the American Israelite. 
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN. 
An ingenious woman recently made a pret¬ 
ty easel to stand upon the floor, out of swamp 
cat-tails. Stout ones about four feet long 
were chosen. The tripod of supports was 
made of nine cat-tails, three in a bunch, fast¬ 
ened together hy almost invisible bouquet 
wire. The three bunches were fastened to¬ 
gether: a bar composed of two cat-tails point¬ 
ing outward, was placed across about four 
inches from the bottom. Another bar was 
placed across higher up, to hold the picture 
More cat-tails were laid carefully against the 
two front pieces of the tripod, to prevent a 
bare look. An untrained etching was placed 
on the easel, with a scarf of crimson silk care¬ 
lessly draped around it. The effect was very 
good. 
English charitable societies make a feature 
of “lending bags,”to be loaned to poor women 
during confinement. A writer in the London 
Queen gives the following list of contents, 
which may be of use to charitably disposed 
women: Two pairs of cotton sheets, two pil¬ 
low cases, two night-dresses, a short jacket 
for sitting up. two nightcaps, two bed-gowns, 
two flannels; in addition, a flannel petticoat, 
six squares, a dressing gown made of flannel 
lined with calico for the mother. For the 
child, two shirts, two flannel gowns, two 
binders, four squares, two flannel squares, 
one head flannel. One pound of yellow soap, 
some tea, and sugar are generally added. The 
bag can be kept six weeks; but must be re¬ 
turned with everything clean, and application 
for the loan to lie made two months before¬ 
hand. If the articles are returned in a satis¬ 
factory state, it is well to give the baby a 
frock, a flannel petticoat, two pinafores, and 
one shirt. A jug of gruel two or three times 
during the first week, and afterwards a good 
meat dinner, are much appreciated. A card 
with the list of articles should be placed iu the 
box, and a Bible is sometimes added, also Ful- 
ler’s-earth, and any useful medicine. 
London shops are beginning to display the 
Indian baskets, such as we see purchased at 
Niagara. 
They are of thin white chip, with a “knobby” 
surface, made by the plaited lengths being 
twisted preparatory to being passed through 
the perpendicular ones. All are finished off 
with roseltes and tassels of the same. The 
dried “seg” or rush baskets are the fashion¬ 
able ones, and this Winter they quite formed 
one of the principal items iu the Christmas 
gift list. There were long, narrow ones, called 
knitting baskets, but used by amateur artists 
for carrying paint brushes: others in the sem¬ 
blance of a crumpled, wide-brimmed hat, 
spiked on three rush-twisted sticks, forming a 
tripod; or a French horn supported on some 
short stout twigs; an upturned beehive, neatly 
ensconced in the center of crossed sticks; a 
large leaf folded partially over, with the stalk 
forming the handle; tail, rounded ones, for 
waste paper, with a gigantic velveteen butter¬ 
fly placed on one side, with silk embroidered 
wire-edged wings. They are all made much 
in the style of the common rush door-mats, and 
their beauty lies principally in their novelty. 
Everybody likes a basket, from the old lady 
with her hoard of wools to the child with its 
pebbles and daisies. 
A pretty way of brightening up the round 
baskets, whether Oriental or British, is to 
make a bag consisting of four pieces of satin, 
of two colors alternating, such as black and 
orange, or red and blue, grey and cerise, with 
a ribbon drawstring of both colors. Square 
and other shapes have a canvas scarf (such as 
was used for dross purposes last Summer) ar¬ 
ranged round them, caught u p with good-sized 
butterflies made of velveteen, with beads and 
silk embroidery on their wings and a wire run 
round: or else with long pointed pieces of 
plush or velveteen, edged with silk cord or 
iridescent beads. 
THE NEW BABY. 
Everyone felt happier at her coming. 
Pride and prejudice, family jars and family 
worries, were all subdued and mollified. New 
hopes and ambitions were awakened; dead- 
and-gone sensibilities revived. Strange, that 
all this should be the work of one weaker than 
the weakest; a hapless little mortal more frail 
than a month-old kitten. But somehow, a 
baby does appeal to one's feelings, worn out 
though they may seem. As Mark Twain feel¬ 
ingly remarks, here we meet on common 
ground; we have all been babies at some 
period of our existence. 
Woman’s divinely maternal instinct, 
prompting to very genuine “gush” over each 
individual baby, meets with much masculine 
comment, more or less good-natured. Perhaps 
it is rather ridiculous to the superior being to 
hear each and every babe “mewling and puk¬ 
ing in its nurse's arms,” described as “just too 
cute for anything,” this phrase beiug qualified 
by a shower of chirruping kisses. But we all 
have our weaknesses, and of this fondness for 
babies one may say, as Mr. Weller said of his 
fondness for widows, after all, its an amiable 
weakness. 
And then to watch the baby’s growth from 
day to day; it is to watch the dawning of an 
immortal soul. A soul given into the mother’s, 
a charge from Him who gave it life—can aught 
be occasion for more solemn joy? She must 
think of ber charge from day to day—guard it 
from evil, guide it to good. Ou her depends 
the growth of every good impulse—the cor¬ 
rection of any inherent perversity. Truly, as 
our little poem says, “the hand that rocks the 
cradle is the hand that rules the world.” But 
it is not only the inherited traits of immediate 
relatives that the mother must take into con¬ 
sideration. The traits of remote and unknown 
ancestors will crop out, and, alas for poor hu¬ 
manity! they arer very often the last one 
would wish perpetuated. We may fear 
that our natural perversity is often 
stronger than our good impulses. So any 
mother who overcomes noticeable faults in 
her children may rightly congratulate herself 
on doing something for posterity. Dr. 
Oliver Wendell Holmes say’s of inherited dis¬ 
ease, that it may be cured if the doctor is 
called in time—about 3U0 years before the 
patieut is born. The same may be very truly 
said of mental and moral weaknesses. There is 
one universal rule in the training of children 
—and that is, that no two can be trained pre¬ 
cisely alike. Bringing up children by the rule 
and plummet is all very well in theory, but 
it comes but poorly enough in practice. There 
is one thing, however, we must bear in mind 
—the necessity of absolute truthfulness and 
honor in dealing with children. If the child 
is promised a reward or a punishment nothing 
should be allowed to prevent the fulfillment 
in either case. And the many foolish 
little falsehoods so many—too many mothers 
use to prevent trouble, should never be re¬ 
sorted to, if we wish to preserve the child’s 
integrity. 
Su the advent of the new baby is a solemn 
joy, perfecting our character, even as we may 
develop and perfect the little life entrusted to 
our care, 
CAN MONEY BE MADE BY FARMING 
IN NEW ENGLAND? 
Under the above heading a few weeks since, 
was a gloomy article that would leal one not 
familiar with New England farming to think 
that the bottom had fallen out of old New 
England as far as that industry was con¬ 
cerned. 
But why ask about New England only; 
Are any of the other States getting sueh fabu¬ 
lous returns at. present that Now England is 
male to seem poor by comparison? If there 
are, tell us gradually, so that evei’ybody won’t 
start at once, for fear other parte of the coun¬ 
try will lie left empty. Having spont the 
greater part of my life in Now Eugland, and 
having also lived in .States hundreds of miles 
from there, and in others nearer, I am ready 
to answer yes to Claude’s question; and I will 
go further and say that I would select Now 
England in preference to any otBer section 
that I know of (and I have lived in several of 
the garden spots of the U. -S.), for the pur [vise 
of getting a living, making money and having 
the most comforts and social advantages. 
The fact is, that all sections have some ad¬ 
vantages over others which are usually bal¬ 
anced by correspondingly great disadvantages. 
For instance, some parte of Southern Califor¬ 
nia are considered almost perfect for farming; 
mild, even climate, good soil, long seasons, 
large crops, etc.; but in these parts, land with 
buildiugs and improvements is valued at 
#1,000 per acre. In New England 100 acres is 
considered a proper size for a farm. Now, if 
a man bad money enough to pay for 100acres at 
the above prices, why would be want to bother 
with farming—or any other business—any¬ 
way? Rancliiug on the plains has for some 
years past brought large returns, but one must 
be entirely isolated, give up society, all life, 
except eating and drinking, simply to pile up 
money. A few years ago, market gardening 
brought large profits about Norfolk and other 
Southern cities; but at present competition 
has so reduced it that there is often not enough 
received to pay expenses of the crop. Still, 
there are man}’ in New England who, know¬ 
ing only the price that retail buyers have to 
pay for these articles, imagine that the coun¬ 
try where they are grown is paved with dol¬ 
lars, and neeils only a rake, basket and market 
wagon to carry off the wealth, Now, let us 
examine Claude’s article, and see if we can¬ 
not partly at least—make it answer itself. 
The first illustration is of a family on a 
heavily mortgaged farm. 
Any one familiar with the financial economy 
of agriculture, knows that a heavy mortgage 
is one of the most serious drawbacks to fann¬ 
ing, and often an absolute bar to success; 
not only in New England, but in any part of 
the States. Many of the Rural readers know 
of farmers who have made partial, or total 
failure, simply because they paid more fora 
farm than it was worth, aud were obliged to 
put a large part of payment iu shape of a 
mortgage; and it is very up-hill work trying 
to carry a two story mortgage on a one story 
business—of any kiud. This is often done by 
men who have accumulated a few thousands 
in some other business, aud concluding to try 
farming, select a farm costing about twice the 
amount of ca-b they have. Many seemed to 
think that “war prices” would last, and 
bought farms at inflated prices, which have 
tried them sorely to pay for. I have in mind 
an industrious stone-mason who, on good 
wages, had accumulated #3,000, and paid 
8(3,000 for a farm hardly worth 84,0(H), and, 
of course, gave a mortgage for 83.000. Al¬ 
though a hard worker, there is at least #2,000 
dead load, that the farm as a financial invest¬ 
ment is not able to carry. If the mortgage 
had been as it should, for only 81,000, he prob¬ 
ably would have soon cleared it, hut now the 
annual interest amounts to such a large part 
of what the principal should have been, that 
it is doubtful, with the prices that are now, aud 
have been ruling—if he can ever do more than 
meet the interest. Claude admits that those 
who are industrious and economical are suc¬ 
cessful, and are to people our farms. But at 
the same time we are led to infer from the 
first part of Claude’s article, that the settlers 
of New England led an easy life compared 
with the pi’eseut generation. But a look at 
some of the massive stone walls snrroundiug 
New England fields, which were built by them 
in addition to clearing the land, would be apt 
to dispel any sueh delusiou. They labored 
50 years ago under many hardships, that the 
present generation would think too hard to 
bear. The fact is New England fanners have 
more of the comforts aud conveniences of life 
than the average farmers throughout the 
United States. 
It is quite a common trait of human nature 
to be wishing for something that we do not 
have. This tendency has operated quite largely 
as a cause of failure in New England and 
elsewhere. There has been a tendency in 
many farmers, both in good circumstances and 
otherwise, to hold up to their children’s view; 
the idea that a mercantile or professional life 
was an easier road to wealth and more genteel 
than fanning ; and. educating them for that 
end, the parents were looking forward to the 
time wheu they could retire ami follow the 
children to the village or city. It is needless 
to say that success ought not to be expected, 
when, the heart; mind, and ambition are else¬ 
where. This craze for gentility aud ease has 
placed many a mortgage ou farms once free 
from debt, that never has been removed since. 
Ou the other hand, I can point to farmers 
in New England, many of whom started 
a few years ago with small amounts, some¬ 
times nothing, and are to day mailing money, 
are young yet, while they live well aud are 
happy. One young farmer married about 12 
years ago on a very small capital ; and for 
many years since has saved #5(X) in cash, be¬ 
side* all expenses of living, raising a family, 
and there are fair prosjjocts of his Living able 
to do as well by his children os those 50 years 
ago whom Claude m nations. This is certainly 
better thou many mechanics do on #3 a day. 
Another case is of a widow, left about the 
same time, with six children, from 15 years to 
15 months of age. All have not only given, 
and are giving all of the children a good edu-. * 
cation, but have increased the fertility of the 
farms, repaired buildings and built new ones, 
cleared <iff bnish from pastures, and added to 
the number of stock. They have improved 
tools, planted a variety of fruits, etc., with a 
view to increased health and pleasure, which 
have also proved a source of considerable 
revenue as well. They have dressed well, 
and lived as well as, or better than their 
neighbors, entertained many friends, and 
made some money. Of course all of these 
families have market! for their success. No 
rational person expects success in these times 
iu any other way. Our most successful busi 
uess men do not sit iu the back door, and let 
their business care for itself. Neither can we 
hope to make money by fanning in New Eng¬ 
land, or elsewhere by sitting on the fence and 
letting the farm run itself. 
But to those who are willing to gain honest 
success, by work, and who will use the same 
forethought, good judgment, and push, that 
are requisite in any other business to make a 
success, I am ready to say, that money cun 
surely be made by farming in New England. 
Everett E. Brown. 
GOLDEN GRAINS. 
Colton says: “that those who have finished 
by making all others think with them, have 
usual 1}’ been those who began by daring to 
think for themselves.”. 
A contemporary wisely advises travel be¬ 
cause “a too continuous residence in one place 
conduces to provincialism, and a community 
has made a great step in advance wheu it re¬ 
cognizes the fact that its own corner of the 
earth, however agreeable, is not absolutely 
the centre.”... 
A correspondent of the Inter-Ocean who 
is a boyeotter, wants workingmen to boycott 
every saloon kept open over eight hours. He 
thinks they have no more right to work 18 
hours than other people.. 
Ik a mau empties his purse into his head, 
no man can take it away from him. An in¬ 
vestment. in knowledge always pays the best 
interest...... 
The warm sunshine and the gentle zephyr 
may melt the glacier which has bid defiance 
to the bowling tempest; so the voice of kind¬ 
ness will touch the heart which no seventy 
could subdue.. 
Charlotte Bronte says: “I consider there 
is no more respectable character on earth than 
an unmarried woman who makes her own way 
through life, quietly, without support of hus- 
baud or brother, and who retains in hel’ pos¬ 
session a well regulated mind, a disposition to 
enjoy simple pleasures, and fortitude to sup¬ 
port inevitable pains, and sympathy with the 
sufferings of others,”. 
He who strives after a long and pleasant 
form of life, must seek to obtain continued 
equanimity.... 
A celebrated writer says: “We never 
see a tear in the eye but we are reminded of a 
warm heart.”.... 
Whatever else wo neglect let us keep up 
the habit of communion with God. Prayer is 
the key of the position... 
Lose not thine own for want of asking for 
it; ’twill get thee no thanks. 
At a little gathering of young folks in North 
Carolina last Summer there was a new-iledged 
Presbyterian minister present, who, more 
mindful of fun than clerical dignity, amused 
the company with sundry pranks of a very un¬ 
clerical Character, w inding up by tossing a 
piece of watermelon in the air and catching it 
iu his mouth. At the conclusion of this dex¬ 
terous feat he proposed that the lint should be 
handed around for his benefit, when a young 
lady from Richmond quietly remarked, “Mr. 
M,, in our city the monkey bands around the 
hat himself.” The young man subsided. 
Domestic Cctmomi) 
CONDUCTED BY MRS. AGNES E. M. CARMAN. 
Home in not a name, nor a form, nor a 
routine. It is a spirit , a presence, a jirinei- 
ple. Material and method toilI not, and 
cannot make it. It must pet its light and 
sweetness from those who inhabit it, from 
flowers and sunshine, from the sympathetic 
natures which, in the cast raise of sympathy, 
can lay aside the tyranny of the broom and 
the awful duty of endless scrubbing. 
»»«-- 
THE POETRY OF DINING. 
A VEGETARIAN DINNER AND ITS DELIGHTS. 
Last week I had the pleasure of partaking 
of a vegetarian dinner that was quite enough 
to make a less enthusiastic person than myself 
fore-swear forever the vulgar charms of “roast 
and boiled,” or the treacherous ones of French 
side dishes. 
A Rent,uck jell’s breakfast is said to be “three 
