189 
J^aSies S'laral iKdoiaei w*i3 Pictorial Home Samjmniafi. 
Tfjirmfoi 
made of two pieces of pasteboard twelve by eighteen 
inches, two triangular pieces twelve inches long, 
three wide at the top and the other sloped to a point. 
Covered all the pieces with gray paper muslin; thread¬ 
ed a darning needle with scarlet yarn, and cross- 
stitched the pieces together ; in the centre of the front 
tacked the chrorno “ Autumn Leaves ” which I re¬ 
ceived with the Cabinet two years ago ; hung it to 
the wall with cord and tassels. 
LET THEM HEAR IT. 
“ I think my boy has a genius for music,” said a 
mother, “ but I never let him know I think so. I 
dread to see a child grow conceited. And Kitty is 
really pretty, you know, but I never let her guess 
we do not think her plain. I believe that to be my 
duty. We mustn’t make young people think too 
much of themselves.” 
Now, I doubt whether that mother was quite right; 
although, of Course, when people, young or old, think 
too much of themselves they are very provoking; 
there is no doubt of that. A woman who obstinately 
will believe herself pretty and attractive is a con¬ 
stant aggravation to those dear friends of hers who 
desire that she shall think herself at least compara¬ 
tively plain and unpleasing; while nothing is more 
Unendurable to most men than another man who 
thinks himself peculiarly brilliant. But whatever 
one does some one will be dissatisfied, and, in my 
humble opinion, it is better to 
think too much than too little of 
one’s self. The best gift a fairy 
godmother • could give a child 
would be the power of being per¬ 
fectly self-contented. As a gene¬ 
ral thing, those who really have 
much to be proud of are by no 
means the most entirely content¬ 
ed with themselves ; but ah ! how 
much happier is the dunce who 
thinks himself a genius than the 
genius who doubts his own pow¬ 
ers : the ugly woman who be¬ 
lieves herself a beauty than the 
beauty who thinks herself plain. 
And to be happy is so much ! 
I doubt if the old-fashioned - 
style of refraining from all praise 
and never alluding to a beauty or 
a grace, while all faults of mind 
and person were pointed out and 
commented on, was a good thing ; 
it made sensitive people too 
wretched. For my part I should 
do everything I justly and reason¬ 
ably could to make a boy satisfied 
with himself. I should teach a 
girl to dress becomingly, to be 
graceful, and to feel that there 
was no reason why love or admir¬ 
ation should not be hers. Many 
plain old maids are plain old maids 
simply because it was impressed 
upon their minds in early youth 
that they were hopelessly unattrac¬ 
tive; and you and I have seen 
women set down as homely who 
have suddenly brightened up and 
somehow made themselves hand¬ 
some after the years when most 
people fade. A little hope had 
crept into their hearts with a word 
of compliment or a becoming 
dress, and changed their lives 
completely. 
As for a man, he will never do anything until he 
thinks he can do it. lie will not make efforts that 
be fancies will be failures. Praise the boy for what¬ 
ever he does well. Praise is so sweet, and to some 
it is the only incentive to effort. You have no hesi¬ 
tation in finding fault, and if blame is needed, don’t 
restrain it; but if you have a word of praise to give, 
remember that it may lend its sunshine to all the 
years that are to come, and let your children hear it — 
not whisper it behind their backs .—Mary Kyle Dal¬ 
las in Kew Yorlc Ledger. 
MY LITTLE WIFE AND I- 
We are travelling o’er life’s road together. 
My little wife and I; 
We are happy in fair and stormy weathei, 
My little wife and I. 
The reason why is very plain, 
There’s nothing queer about it: 
We never give each other pain 
When we can do without it. 
We have toiled o’er many a road 
most dreary, 
My little wife and I; 
But our hearts were light when our 
feet were weary, 
My little wife and I. 
The reason why we journeyed on, 
Since hand-in-hand we started: 
We ne’er had seen the battle won 
By those who were faint-heart¬ 
ed. 
Though our home be plain, that 
never teazes 
My little wife and I ; 
Though a humble cot, right well it 
pleases 
My little wife and I. 
The reason why we are content : 
We do not fear to labor, 
And though in toil our time is 
spent, 
We envy not our neighbor. 
We never dream of ill for the mor¬ 
row, 
My little wife and I ; 
But take what may come,-be it joy 
or sorrow, 
My little wife and I. 
The reason wdiy we do not fret, 
And you’d do well to try it : 
We ne’er have found a person yet 
That was a gainer by it. 
—C. If. C., in Domestic Monthly. 
WALL-POCKET. 
I wanted a paper-holder, or 
wall-pocket, strong enough to hold 
a pretty good supply of papers, and 
not, like some of our neighbors’, only made to look 
at. I had a handkerchief-box about twelve inches 
square, with a pretty chrorno on the centre of the 
cover ; sewed the box together at the bottom of the 
chrorno through the narrow side pieces, which I left 
over both the lid and the box ; made holes in the sides 
at equal distances from each other; took scarlet, began 
at the bottom, laced the sides together, letting the 
top spread apart three or four inches ; tied the cord 
and attached tassels to the ends of the cord; hung it 
up with four long cords and two tassels. Another I 
Learning Wisdom. 
