1883. J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
131 
The Furs We Wear. 
Do our lady readers ever stop to think where 
the warm furs come from which have kept them 
so comfortable during the cold winter days? 
Seal skin is a favorite, and very beautiful fur, 
of which muffs, caps, coats, and wraps of vari¬ 
ous kinds are made. The home of the seals is 
in the colder regious, their native element is the 
•water, though they often may be seen lying on 
Helds of ice (fig. 1), so abundant in the regions 
^where they live. Their bodies are long and taper¬ 
ing, with the head shaped somewhat like that of a 
dog. Seals have webbed feet, the hind oues turn¬ 
ing backward, and are able to propel themselves 
through the water with great rapidity and grace. 
Their dkins are very valuable, but have to go 
through much preparation before the fur has the 
rich color and fine velvet appearance seen in gar¬ 
ments. After the skin is taken from the animal, it 
is thoroughly cleansed from the oily substance 
with which it is filled. The long, coarse hairs are 
■plucked out, leaving only the soft under fur,which 
is dyed a beautiful shade of dark brown, and made 
into different articles of dress. 
Another fur, much in use, though far less valu¬ 
able, is furnished by the Hare and Rabbit. Their 
long ears are exceedingly sensitive, and can detect 
sounds of danger from a great distance. The fur 
is gray, or gray and white, and often pure white, 
soft, silky, and very pretty. Rabbit fur is now 
largely used for the lining of garments, the more 
expensive kinds being reserved for the trimming. 
During the reign of Henry the Eighth, it was quite 
the fashion among nobility. 
The Chinchilla (fig. 2), a beautiful little animal 
of South America, somewhat resembles the rabbit. 
Its home is beneath rocks, or in holes in the earth. 
The chinchilla fur is a mixture of gray and white, 
beautifully silky, and long. Those most highly 
prized for their skins are found in the Andes. 
The Sable fur is of a rich dark brown color, and 
remarkably fine and soft. The animal is about 
eighteen inches in length, having, on the throat and 
sides of the neck, small spots of yellow shade. The 
legs, feet, and even the soles of the feet, are cov- 
■ered with fur. The most valuable of these animals 
are found in Siberia, and the Hudson Bay Territory. 
They are much sought for by hunters, but very 
difficult to capture. When injured, they sometimes 
ruin their skins. To avoid this, they are often 
chased to their burrows, or holes, and a net is 
spread over the opening, in which they are caught. 
The Ermine is similar in shape and habits to the 
weasel. In the summer their color is a red shade 
of brown, but during the winter, in the colder re¬ 
gions, it becomes pure white, except the tip of the 
tail, which remains black at all times. This is a 
fur which may be said to belong to royalty, for of it 
•the robes of kings and queens are made, or of some 
costly fabric trimmed with it. The skins are 
small, and the black spots seen on the garment are 
the black tips of the tails, which show that many 
skins are required for the manufacture of even a 
small-sized robe. These are a few of the many 
creatures that furnish us with 6oft, warm clothing, 
and contribute so largely to our comfort in winter. 
The Government of Children. 
—— 
■- All who have had much to do with children have 
discovered a great difference in their dispositions. 
Some, teachers and others, suppose that this is due 
mostly to a difference in home management. Dis¬ 
positions are very greatly modified by education, 
but the fact remains that in the same family one 
often sees a variety of temperament, or natural 
character. Often the parents are more to blame 
than the children when the latter seem to be in¬ 
tractable and peevish or sullen. There iseithertoo 
much government, or it is fitful and uncertain. 
Over government and unsteady government are 
almost as bad as no government at all. A child 
J 
constantly commanded and governed by fear of 
penalties, for every petty misbehavior, cannot 
maintain that frame of mind so essential to the best 
development of character; and if the same act is 
sometimes severely punished and sometimes passed 
without rebuke, resentment is pretty sure to follow 
the penalty, and a sense of injustice makes the 
punishment, on the whole, an injury. Parents 
should be sparing of their commands, using advice 
or requests instead, as far as possible, interfering 
with a child’s natural inclinations only for good 
reason. We do not say this from a belief that “all 
children are naturally good,” and that it is better 
they should have their own way. But it is best 
that children should be sure of the love and sym¬ 
pathy of their parents, and not have reason to sup¬ 
pose that a mere whim or selfish motive leads the 
parent to interfere with their play, or require what is 
distasteful to the children. If care is used, it will 
very seldom be necessary to follow a request by a 
positive command. One reason for using requests 
when they can be made effective in maintaining 
proper control, is the example it gives children 
in their intercourse with each other. Much of their 
trouble conies from the ordering about of the 
younger by the elder ones. They sometimes catch 
such manners from their playmates, even when the 
home atmosphere is quite different. It is not to be 
expected that a family of children can be brought 
up without some quarrels among themselves, if the 
children are energetic and disposed to maintain 
their own rights. Children should be taught, both 
by precept and example, to show an accommodating 
spirit toward others, and to deny themselves for 
the sake of others. If their little requests for help 
about their playthings and sports are met with a 
sympathizing spirit, and with the best help that pa¬ 
rents can afford to give, this is one of the best les¬ 
sons in home training, or character building. But 
this is not enough : they must also be trained to 
help others, and to wait upon themselves. 
One reason for using a tone of command as little 
as possible, is because commanding easily runs into 
severity, and gentle measures are almost always 
best. It is not enough that your tone of command 
produces instant obedience. This may be bought 
at too high a price. Mothers who use a tone of 
command too much are apt to become scolds ; but 
this is not always the case, and commands may be 
very quiet and gentle. If parents are careful to be 
reasonable in their requirements and denials, and 
to be consistent and steady in their discipline, chil¬ 
dren soon learn to feel confidence in their decisions, 
and usually accept them without contest; this not 
because they have been “ conquered,” or had their 
wills broken, but because they learn to feel that 
father, or mother, knows best. Difference of natur¬ 
al disposition here shows itself ; those with large 
veneration and conscientiousness being more re¬ 
spectful and obedient. Parents who interest them¬ 
selves in their children’s plays, and sometimes play 
with them, are more cheerfully obeyed than those 
who hold themselves aloof. “ What do you sup¬ 
pose I care about your dolly things ?” said a moth¬ 
er, the other day. The little girl to whom she spoke 
shows no great fondness for her mother, but carries 
her little confidences to more sympathetic ears. 
A Corn on tlie Sole of tlie Foot. —“Sub¬ 
scriber,” Mount Vernon, N. Y. Corns, wherever 
they occur, are generally due to unequal pressuro, 
or to the rubbing of ihe spot by the shoe or boot. 
As a rule, if the cause is removed, a cure will be 
made. Use an in-sole of leather, or of pasteboard, 
cutting in it a hole large enough to receive the 
corn. If the sole is thick enough to prevent all 
pressure upon the corn, it will probably get well. 
