j& 
[For the Floral Cabinet.] 
THREE OFFERINGS. 
■e J^fes’ Storal iKctkaet imd Pictorial 
BY 2ST. F. WILLIAMS. 
Willie, my first love, Willie, 
Gave me a rose-bud sweet; 
1 wore the bud in my braided hair, 
But its bloom was short and fleet; 
I hid it away in my bosom, 
Withered and wan, but sweet; 
And all the long, bright Summer 
My heart beneath it beat. 
Willie, my boy love, Willie, 
Gave me three daisies white. 
When we sailed together adown the stream, 
In the hush of the moon-lit night; 
I locked them up in a casket 
While they were fresh and white, 
And after their leaves were faded 
I .kept them out of sight. 
Willie, my old love, Willie, 
Gave me some flowers to-day; 
Purple blossoms with hearts of gold, 
And a single scarlet spray; 
His blue-black eyes were smiling, 
And I thought of a by-gone day;— 
But when he had passed and left me, 
I threw the flowers away! 
DREAMING AND WORKING. 
“ It is better to sit down dreaming 
Of things that would make life sweet, 
Than follow a mocking phantom, 
And find in the end defeat. 
Better to dream forever. 
Though dreams are but dreams at best, 
Than to wreck a life for a shadow— 
Better to dream and rest.” 
But better than idle dreaming. 
Is work for the true, and right; 
Be ter than rest in torpor. 
Is mettle, and nerve, and might. 
Better than dull inaction, 
And waiting for things to be, 
Is^earty and brave endeavor 
Till worthy reward you see 1 
But what if you work forever. 
Till time for the work is done. 
And never attain your hoping. 
Or find your reward begun ? 
He wins who has honest courage 
To fight to the battle’s close, 
For, dying in truest service, 
The truest reward he knows! 
There maybe a time for dreaming,— 
There's always a time for work! 
And that which awaits his doing, 
iso man of us all should shirk. 
For better than dreamful fancies, 
Are purposes true and grand. 
And best of all, noble Manhood 
Abides in the willing hand! * 
ame feomjmuiou. 
haunted by unpaid bills ; but the sweetest of Christian 
charity and benevolence are experienced in its broad¬ 
est and most loving aspect. Woman's tact had much 
to do in planning and furnishing this pleasant home. 
The skill of the daughters was called into requisition. 
ECONOMY IN FURNISHING OUR HOUSES. 
I wonder if our city friends are aware with how 
little expense a room can he furnished, and made to 
look cozy and cheerful, with only the outlay of a few 
dollars, instead of a hundred. I have in mind a beau¬ 
tiful home of wealth and refinement, whose owner 
could lavish any amount of expenditure in the furnish¬ 
ing if he chose, and yet, the simplicity of adorning is 
its greatest charm. Tasteful, and even elegant, arti¬ 
cles of furniture of home manufacture adorn nearly all 
the rooms, and their perfume are not of greenbacks ; 
but of loving hands and hearts, who still ha ve the 
means left to cheer and help the more unfortunute in 
life. The ample rooms are made for use, and their 
open doors, and inviting aspect have a most soothing 
and happy influence upon all who enter. It is indeed 
a home of culture and happiness, where hearts are not 
and many were the beautiful designs and graceful 
ornaments that matured under their guiding hands. 
The cozy easy chairs and comfortable sofas did not 
once lead you to suspect they were of home origin, 
hut mother and daughter could have told you of shape¬ 
less barrels and boxes, thus deftly transformed into 
useful articles of furniture, with their tasty covering 
of some pretty material. The ottomans and chairs 
are also neatly covered with the same, with sly place? 
hidden away in some of them for deposits of various 
kinds. Brackets adorn the wall, of numerous de¬ 
vices, some of moss, others of wood with tasteful 
decorations, hut all designed and made by the inmates 
of the family. Pictures too, lend their charm, many 
of them drawn by the artistic fingers of the home 
circle, thus possessing a deep value, as heart treasures 
i of the loved ones entwined in affection’s wreath arounp 
the hearthstone. A rustic table for plants, made 
from curious pieces of wood, and tastefully put to¬ 
gether, stands in the recess of the window, filled with 
bright and beautiful flowers which are a world of 1 
beauty in themselves, and a graceful and pretty adorn¬ 
ment for any home. A multitude of flowers vie in 
excelling each other in this miniature garden, and in 
sending forth their fragrance to bless and gratify the 
senses. 
The ingenuity of the daughters left nothing untried 
in the shape of furniture j pretty and useful articles 
were seen in every nook and corner, the result of their 
own handiwork. They felt a sweeter joy in their 
home productions than they would in the most costly 
furniture, for they could enjoy it all. No rooms were 
kept closely shut up and veiled from human view, hut 
the blessed sun and bracing air had free access, caus¬ 
ing the inmates to rejoice in health and happiness. 
The very atmosphere of the house seemed to he per¬ 
vaded with blessings for all who dwelt beneath its 
roof. A most hospitable and genial family, they did 
not loose caste, by following their own convictions of 
duty, and eschewing the costly goddess of fashion, hut 
were ever surrounded by true and admiring friends. 
Now I ask were they not far happier in their surround¬ 
ings than the man who spends a fortune in adorning 
his home with much that is useless, and has nothing 
left to enjoy. How often are hundreds of dollars 
thrown away in this maimer, spent sometimes upon 
one article, which at best is hut an ornament, and of 
no particular use. Is it wise to spend so much on our 
homes, when there are so many channels of benevo¬ 
lence needing our aid ? Pi these days of woman’s 
privileges, would it not he well for her to take the 
lead in reform in this matter, and set the example of 
simplicity and economy in these things ? There is a 
wide field for action, for women to expand her capabil¬ 
ities in efforts surely in the range of woman’s domain.' 
Who will step forth independently for the right, and 
convert abodes too splendid for daily use into homes 
that can he enjoyed without fear of ruining the carpet, 
or some like catastrophe, a loving place where we can 
gather the children about ns, and make them happy, 
not with gold and silver, hut teaching them to live for 
higher objects, so that they will he able to meet man¬ 
fully the vicissitudes of life, as they go forth to its 
duties, clad in the armor of home affections which will 
cause them to ever look hack with love and reverence 
for the “ home sweet home,” of their early days. Let 
us make our homes attractive and even elegant, by the i 
many devices of which a true woman is capable, adopt- 1 
ing a simpler style of expenditure, which will bring 
less care, and leave more time for nobler pursuits. 
Much time, that now hangs heavy on the hands of 
many, might be devoted to useful employments in this 
sphere, and weary heads and aching hearts would dis¬ 
appear as if by magic. I trust the day is not far dis¬ 
tant when we shall see a revolution in this matter, 
and instead of thousands spent for show, mankiud will 
learn lessons of wisdom, and judge things by their 
true value. And so use the treasures of earth as to 
fit them by and by for a home in the “ house not 
made with hands,” in the heavenly mansion above. 
M. P. B. 
THE GIRLS OE NEW ORLEANS. 
A correspondent of a Western paper, who went to 
see the Mardi Gras festivities at New Orleans, evident¬ 
ly saw more than that — having had an eye on the girls 
all the time. He says: 
“ New Orleans belles, by the way, would have been 
fit welcomers of the ancient Minnesong. I have heard 
much of their beauty, hut never studied it with occa¬ 
sion until now. It is up to its fame. These women 
of the Southern metropolis are the most superb look¬ 
ing in America. They are brunettes, the most and 
best of them, with an elegance of carriage and figure, 
a contour of feature and a pose of manner that are 
matchless. They say that the peasantry in certain 
districts of Spain carry yet in their faces the grandeur 
of the faded Castilian noblesse. These New Orleans 
beauties, lifted tenderly down a dozen generations of 
close blood, arc more queenly than the portraits oi 
their French mothers, that have hung for centuries in 
their parlors. Some of them are like chiseled penciled 
figures out of marble, with the soft dash of Guido’s 
brush or Petrach’s song in their faces, and the ripe 
Southern blood flushing up to their temples, under the 
pure surface of their veins. The exquisiteness of their 
style takes your breath with an exclamation of admira¬ 
tion, and a sigh of relief as you pass. Their native 
city and state are the horizon of society and of the 
world to these superb creatures ; they are reared under 
the solemn shadow of Catholicism; they are local in 
their attachments as Venitians; their culture is nar¬ 
row, hut they gather in their loins the gait of em¬ 
presses, and in their eyes that glance filled with the 
wisdom, the cunning, the refinement, the magic of 
womanhood. The Boston beauty offends you with 
her look of intellectual pertness ; New York puts on 
the face of her charming favorite, the stamp of her 
eager extravagance; in the West we have not settled 
our features yet, and feminine comeliness is without a 
type. The New Orleans belle stands alone as far 
from the placid demeanor of the “Future City ” as 
from the “lilies and langours ” of the South, and offers 
the eye the satisfying compliment of taste. There is 
hut one drawback. Her manners impose. You must 
see her in position. The lifting of an eyelid or the 
glitter of her teeth may hi* disenchantment.” 
A Pretty Dress.— A Washington correspondent 
gives a pretty description of the dress worn at Miss 
Stewart’s wedding by Miss Daisy, the beautiful 
daughter of the late Lieutenant Derby (“John 
Phoenix.”) The underskirt was white silk. Falling 
over it in studied carelessness were puffs and folds of 
tulle spangled with daisies. Long wreaths of them 
fell like a sash down to the very hem of the train, 
and a garland of them, a veritable daisy chain, hung 
around her neck, and a little loose cluster ornamented 
her pretty, graceful head. 
hral 
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