bringing "sweetness and light" into the dark and bitter corners of the world, than by entering the lands of the oppressed with flying banners and needle-guns. We are teaching the world that a great nation can live in peace and happiness and abundant prosperity without being constantly upon a war-footing, without standing armies, without imposing military chiefs, or military glory. Armenia, in her distant mountain glens, will feel the sunshine of our example and be encouraged. The people worthy of liberty achieves it. But is it not known to the Spectator that American railway projects and American commercial enterprise and American evangelists have already begun the peaceful conquest of Mexico? Does it not know that from the success of our institutions the South American republics take heart for new efforts in purifying themselves and establishing democratic principles? Immeasurably more glorious is it for hosts of intelligent men to be devoted to evolving new plans of production, of increasing the wealth and comfort of the world, of winning from barbarism new fields for commercial activity and civilization, than to be leading armies on Don Quixotic campaigns, or lounging about camps and cafés, or making new and more terrible inventions for the destruction of human life and the products of peaceful industry. The lesson that America teaches the world just at present—and it is a most needed one is that prosperity waiteth upon peace. Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn.-The three brightest planets now visible in the western sky are Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. These are all in nearly a direct line from the setting sun to near the meridian, Venus being the most western, then Jupiter and Saturn. Venus is remarkably brilliant now, and about the first of April will be visible to the naked eye even when the sun shines. Venus will pass Jupiter on the 22d of February, five degrees to the north, at which time these planets will present a rarely beautiful sight. And on the first of March it will pass Saturn, so that from the middle of February till the middle of March the three planets will possess unusual attractions. On the 22d of April Jupiter will pass the sun and Saturn, an event that will not occur again this century. TABLE-TALK. Apples.-Apples are the most useful fruit we possess, and the most wholesome. Eaten raw, or cooked in a hundred different ways, they take an important share in our domestic economy. Apples may be divided into three classes, dessert, baking, and cider fruit,-the number of different varieties in each of these classes being enormous. It is much easier to choose a good dessert-apple than to be sure of a good cooking-apple; for very much of the fruit sold for baking purposes is only fit for cider. It makes a great difference in the success of a recipe whether the apples used have a fine flavor when cooked, and whether they retain their form or cook into a smooth pulp. For those who possess orchards of their own it is best to keep each variety distinct, and use first any that may have been mixed. A room with a good draught of air through it, and with shelves all round the walls, made of laths of wood two or three inches apart, or of perforated zinc nailed on a framework of wood, is best for the apples. Do not let them touch each other, and if they have air all round them they will be in good condition when other fruit is rotten. Of course, they must be carefully picked by hand from the tree, the bruised ones being used first. Some varieties will keep three or four months longer than others, and these should be carefully looked after. By looking over the apples once a week, and taking away any that show symptoms of decay, the winter stock of fruit will amply repay care and attention. Mending. As soon as children have learned to darn on canvas perfectly by taking up one stitch and leaving one, and are also equally perfect in crossing their darns by the same rules as I gave in a former paper, they ought to be taught to make their darns another pattern, by taking up one stitch and leaving two, and then another way by taking two and leaving two. One square of canvas can contain three or four darns, in all different colors. It is a good plan to let an elder child teach a younger one; this not only saves the mother or governess, but impresses the lesson indelibly on the small teacher. It is a lesson also to the child who teaches, inpatience and in gentleness of tone in speaking,— two virtues which she no doubt will illustrate with the measure wherewith they have been measured to her. When the canvas darning is an easy and familiar lesson learned perfectly, the children can then be promoted to stocking darning; but it must be a coarse cotton stocking, cut up into squares, for a whole stocking or sock is much too difficult at first, because the way to hold it on the left hand is a tiresome thing to a child. In all these little matters, as we grown-up people call them, the teaching of children calls for a loving sympathy and a large and divine patience,-the patience that daily teaches line upon line, and as patiently waits for the results. I fear that many mothers expect the results to be far greater in proportion than the line-upon-line teaching entitles us to do. It is not so in nature, whether in the animal or vegetable kingdom, neither should we expect it in the mental growth or deftness or handiness of children. It will not be long, however, before a child carefully and daily taught to darn in the way I have described will be able to put a neat darn in a "real" sock or stocking, and the greatest prize you can give is that they shall have the honor and glory of darning mother's or father's. Then promote them to the darning of house-linen. The easiest thing to begin upon is a rather coarse table-napkin, cut into small squares. Let them hem the squares, and then learn, in the same way TABLE-TALK. as on the stockings, every alternate thread, but not allowing them to leave loops, only to leave the thread easy top and bottom. The proper thread to use for bed and table linen is flax thread, and at a good trimming and small-ware shop the proper varieties in size can be bought. At a draper's only a coarse size is usually sold. In darning, match your thread with your material. Darn all cotton things with cotton, all linen with linen, all woolen with woolen. It not only looks better, but amalgamates with the material, and when washed does not show as much as darning a material with a foreign element would. The same principle applies to the mending of gowns. If you can manage to darn a slit in a merino, cashmere, or paramatta gown with its own ravelings, it will scarcely show; but, at the same time, you must not take the ravelings from the tear you are going to mend, as those ravelings help to fill up the darn. Never remove the threads that are left in any sort of tear in any sort of material. Before you begin to darn a hole, examine it well, and pull out the edges with your finger and thumb, and see what you have to work upon. The washing and mangling it has undergone crumples up and conceals many little scraps that can be pulled out and In stockings and used as a foundation to cover the rents. socks, holes should always be drawn together before darning. This should be done by "lacing" it with very fine cotton, black cotton for white stockings and white for black stockings, and then you can pick out the threads when your stocking is darned. In drawing a hole together, be careful not to draw it out of its natural proportions, but observe where the threads naturally lie, and make a lattice-work across the hole gently. Some holes can be quite drawn together. Filoselle is the best thing for darning black lisle thread or fine merino stockings; not the filoselle for embroidery, but large skeins, as four threads are sufficiently H. B. thick, and sometimes two are enough. Husbands and Housekeeping.-We have read of "Bachelors' Ways, and What they Teach the Housewife," but we do not think the subject of "Housekeeping from the Husband's Point of View" has ever yet been treated. It is, however, an important one, and one over which we housewives are continually pondering and lamenting, whether we We say lamenting, because the express our feelings or not. fact is, most men know nothing whatever about housekeeping, and are apt to take all that is done for them so entirely as a matter of course (though they are ready enough to find fault if it is not done), that their wives very naturally get disappointed and out of heart at their exertions being so scantily recognized and so little appreciated. Not very long ago, Mrs. Oliphant, in a magazine article on the "Grievances of Women," gave vent to her own views with respect to the masculine fashion of regarding housewives and housekeeping with contempt; and what she said embodies so much of that sense of injustice against which we are always struggling, that we must quote from her. "Housekeeping," she remarks, "is a science full of a multiplicity of tasks, all more or less indispensable. The husband has his hours of work out of doors, and then comes home to rest and be waited upon. The wife, at least in the lower and middle classes, finds her work cut out for her, and spread over every moment of the twenty-four hours; so We chanced once to be present at an afternoon tea at a So he natural place, if only matters were left alone. followed out his own plan, and found, as you may suppose, that the weekly bills ran up to double their usual amount, the servants got dreadfully careless, and all his little pet comforts and indulgences were overlooked and neglected. I felt very triumphant, I can tell you, when at last he was obliged to own that I was the best manager, after all!" "If they could only all be brought to own that," said the lady who had opened the discussion, “what a good thing it would be for us! If our work, which is more important to them than they know, were given its full value, and its little homely details, which seem so trivial and are really so necessary, were recognized as part of the household machinery, and not sneered at as useless fussing,' it would give us a much higher interest and pleasure in fulfilling our appointed tasks. We must 'potter' more or less over them; 6 and we cannot help it. Just look at the time it takes (setting aside ordering dinner and marketing) to sort the household linen and keep it in order every week, to put down the accounts accurately, and to superintend the nursery or the school-room, or perhaps both, while keeping a watchful eye over the kitchen. Unless we are rich enough to keep a large staff of competent servants, we must do all this ourselves; and even arranging flowers, tidying a room, and writing a menu takes time. Our husbands' wardrobes are under our charge, too, and their thousand little wants and crotchets must be our constant study. And yet these men take it all for granted, and say we have nothing to do, and might lie on the sofa all day and read novels if we liked. It would serve them right if we did, I think. But we are too conscientious.'" And thereupon there was a laugh, and the discussion ended. But it left a permanent impression on our mind to the effect that a more full and perfect recognition of women's work per se-domestic, not professionalwould be a far greater step towards advancing the social position of women in general than the attempt to confer upon them masculine privileges, which few really desire, and fewer still rightly understand. Courtesy.-A person who is courteous to others feels the happier for his courtesy; and it creates sunshine and happiness around. We feel drawn involuntary toward a person who treats us with courtesy and speaks kindly to us. If we think a brother is in error; if we wish him to receive any view of divine truth which we have formed ourselves; if we wish him to adopt any line of conduct in preference to the one he is now pursuing, a courteous and respectful forbearing will enable us the better to accomplish our end. We cannot lose anything by elegance of manners; we may gain a great deal. A man with a disrespectful manner, and with rough and hasty words, damages the cause he wishes to promote. Study to be respectful. Study to be easy, graceful, kind, in your general demeanor. You will find in passing through a world like this that it will pay well to be courteous. Health Hints. Those who desire and appreciate health should be as willing to make some effort to secure it as they do to obtain the other and good things which increase the pleasures of life. Pure water is essentially necessary to good health. All wells, cisterns, and springs should be thoroughly cleaned in the early spring or in the autumn. The usual method of placing a large stone on the top of the cistern is injurious to the water, unless an aperture is left in the stone and fitted with a wooden cover. The air should not be wholly excluded from the cistern, else mouldy conditions will predominate,-although perhaps not apparent,—and the water will not be wholesome, and in it sometimes there may be found various kinds of insects and reptiles. Water is the natural drink of all living creatures, and it serves several important purposes in the animal economy. First, it repairs the loss of the aqueous part of the blood caused by evaporation, and the action of the secreting and inhaling organs; secondly, it is a solvent of various elementary substances, and therefore assists the stomach in digestion, though if taken in very large quantities it may have an opposite effect, by diluting the gastric juice; thirdly, it is a nutritive agent; that is, it assists in the formation of the solid parts of the body. Kitchen Economy.-Dr. Edward G. Love, the present Analytical Chemist for the Government, has recently made some interesting experiments as to the comparative value of baking powders. Dr. Love's tests were made to determine what brands are the most economical to use. And as their capacity lies in their leavening power, tests were directed solely to ascertain the available gas of each powder. Dr. Love's report gives the following: "The prices at which baking powders are sold to consumers I find to be usually fifty cents per pound. I have, therefore, calculated their relative commercial values according to the volume of gas yielded on a basis of fifty cents cost per pound." that the loss in large workshops must be considerable, for in a great majority of cases we have seen materials lying about under foot,-bolts, nuts, washers, kicking around in the mud out in the yard, new work exposed to injury from the elements, tools misplaced, essential articles or tools necessary to the perfection of certain parts of the work, at great distances from each other, and an infinite number of abuses which, although small of themselves, when summed up make a grand-total loss at the end of the year. As the thirtysecond part of an inch is too little on one piece of a steam engine, a sixty-fourth on another, and as much on still another will result in great derangement of the functions of the machine, so infinitesimal waste, continually occurring, is the representative of hundreds of dollars for which there has been no return. No matter what the nature of the trade or manufacture, it is very certain that a material reduction of the expenses of every department can be made by careful attention to the minor matters, and these remarks are made with the hope that all interested will give them attention. "Science in Aid of the Housewife.-Mending of all kinds of clothing, table, and bed linen, etc., and elegant embroidery, is now done on the Wilson Oscillating Shuttle Sewing Machine, without an attachment. Wonders will never cease in this age of progress."-Scientific American. Neuralgia as a "Warning.”—The great prevalence of "neuralgia". -or what commonly goes by that name— should be regarded, the Lancet says, as a warning indicative of a low condition of health, which must necessarily render those who are affected with this painful malady especially susceptible to the invasion of diseases of an aggressive type. Neuralgia indicates a low or depressed state of vitality, and nothing so rapidly exhausts the system as pain that prevents sleep and agonizes both body and mind. It is, therefore, of the first moment that attacks of this affection, incidental to and indicative of a poor and weak state, should be promptly placed under treatment, and as rapidly as may be controlled. It is worth while to note this fact, because, while the spirit of manliness incites the "strong-minded" to patient endurance of suffering, it is not wise to suffer the distress caused by this malady, as many are now suffering it, without seeking relief, forgetful of the condition it bespeaks, and the constitutional danger of which it is a warning sign. There is nothing equal to crocus powder for cleaning and keeping steel. Mix it with pure salad-oil, cover the steel over night with it; rub off well next morning, and polish with equal parts of dry crocus and powdered brickdust. LITERATURE AND ART. My Hero. A Love Story. By MRS. FORRESTER. Author of "Mignon," "Roy and Viola," "Diana Carew; or, for a Woman's Sake," "Fair Women," "Dolores," "Rhono," etc. Philadelphia: T. B. Peterson & Bros. "My Hero" is a strong and thoroughly captivating lovestory. It is a delicious life-picture, and is written in Mrs. Forrester's best and most charming vein, the style being full of vigor and dash. There is a breezy freshness pervading the entire novel which is particularly acceptable, and now and then come bursts of humor welling forth in the most spontaneous fashion. The scene is laid in a charming locality in the interior of England, which is described with great felicity and picturesqueness, and the glimpses given of the little village of Colton are simply fascinating. The characters belong to the gentry, and form the high society of the delightful rural district they inhabit. All these personages are well drawn and clearly individualized. Doris Keane, the heroine, is sketched with special power and fidelity to nature. From the time she first meets her "hero" in the Southcote Woods until her illusions are rudely shattered, and she at last finds a husband truly worthy of a pure and spotless woman, the picture is complete and enthralling. The portrait of Jack, Doris's manly brother, is also drawn with a master hand, and Mr. Carruthers, the kind and patient lover, is as fine a life-sketch as can be found in any novelist's pages. The plot possesses unflagging interest, and has the merit of absolute novelty. It is admirably handled from the first to last, the development displaying an unusual amount of tact and skill. The incidents are all good, and some of them are dramatic and thrilling in a pronounced degree. 99.66 The Twin Cousins. By SOPHIE MAY, Author of "Little Prudy Stories," Dotty Dimple Stories," "Little Prudy's Flyaway Stories," etc. Illustrated. Boston: Lee & Shepard. This constitutes one of the delightful series of "Flaxie Frizzle Stories," written by the above author for the instruction and entertainment of the young folks. Its highly moral tone and pleasing character well adapt it to the purpose for which it was designed, and no more charming little volume could be selected for the youthful reader. Its illustrations also are quite artistic as well as attractive. The Rhyme of the Border War. A Historical Poem of the Kansas-Missouri Guerilla War before and during the late Rebellion. By THOMAS BROWN PEACOCK, Author of "The Vendetta" and other poems. New York: G. W. Carleton & Co. The principal character of the poem is the famous guerilla chieftain, Charles William Quantrell, and the various incidents constituting the song of these rhyming verses are those which are to be found in the early and tragic history of Kansas. Its author, known as the "Kansas poet," through his many previous poetical effusions, has well earned the reputation, if quantity is to be considered a measure. As to quality, however, there is much that is open to fair criticism; yet, notwithstanding such defects, minor in themselves, there is much deserving of favorable commendation. We find many fine gems of poetic thought, expressed in language both chaste and select. In fine word-painting, especially, does he show a most gratifying skill; some of his poetic imagery possessing much original and striking beauty. Of these we have space to notice but a few. The introduction conveys in pleasing metre the aims of the writer: ' "I build the fair and lofty rhyme, Though now I touch the breathing lyre, So that the poem hath expressed I sing as now my whim suits best, And leave to man and time the rest; I sing of war-red, cruel war, The desperate deeds of desperate men- Of war, whose echoes yet afar Low thunder over hill and plain." has been to place the incident he so happily relates with those that so strongly mark the career of the new State. We shall not, however, divulge the modus operandi by which we solved this problem from out the labyrinthian mazes of his Canto IX. Tom Reworb was certainly as brave in love as in war, and he deserves to have his praises recorded in verse. In reading "the lover's flight" we were very forcibly reminded of how much depended upon a saddle-girth, but presumed that Tom, like all gallant lovers, made sure of this! Decoration.-A valued exchange presents the following sensible thoughts upon decoration as a refining power. We take pleasure in calling our readers' attention to them: "Criticism has, probably, been no more exercised than in endeavoring to formulate the traits of particular artists into general principles, which may account for that subtle power to please which some works evince, and which, if it can be long sustained, is a positive indication of the presence of genius, or, at least, of well-defined talent. "While the attempt to arrive at such principles can never result in any other outcome than a few cardinal rules which may be generally applicable, it does tend to show in what manner various forms of art differ, and what requisites are, And a peroration to Kansas, which is exceedingly graphic under certain conditions, indispensable. The same criteria Through the Herald, Free State, Speer's Tribune, The Muse-his poems seem like day His descriptions of the battles fought by the bushwhackers are equally weil and forcibly expressed, and none more so than the opening lines of Canto VI.: Lo! Phoebus climbs the hills of morn! Here countless wild-flowers breast the wind, As a class, poets themselves play a part in the scenes they portray, and the character they assume is usually that of the lover. We fear that the poet, in the present instance, has failed to conceal his identity sufficiently, unless his desire which would be adopted with reference to pictorial art, or the art of sculpture, could not, in many instances, be used with reference to decorative art. The consideration of true drawing, perfect technique, or grand conception which would admit of the reception into galleries of paintings morally debasing, or of statuary meretriciously suggestive, might be of no weight in determining whether the same works, although admitted to be of the best art, should be introduced to the companionship of households. In the one case, the artistic worth is alone regarded; in the other, that worth is also measured by the direct effect which is produced upon those with whom it is to come in daily contact. "In some forms of decoration this attention to the personal influence is all important. The refining tendency, the elevating tone of household surroundings, must be thought of as a first principle; and in no case is this more certain than when the decoration is the work of women. Embroidery has a purpose beyond the dexterity which the workmanship manifests and above the part which the colors play, though 'color be divine.' When James Thomson said that "The rooms with costly tapestry were hung, Where was inwoven many a gentle tale; Such as of old the rural poets sung,' or that "Sometimes the pencil in cool, airy halls, Bade the gay bloom of vernal landscapes rise,' he appreciated the power which gentleness and womanliness and refined feeling could give to the very walls and the carpets and the furniture. "Without doubt this is the highest aim of decoration, and the more intimately the form in which the object appears is associated by custom or necessity with the idea of work especially suited to women, the more should the power to refine and elevate be held in view as one of the foremost requisites to distinguish good work." |