Chapter X (4)

"MY DEAR GODEY: Did you ever attend an old-fashioned sugar party in the woods? If you have not, you have missed a pleasant hour, and the enjoyment of that open-hearted hospitality for which our Eastern farmers are distinguished. Imagine yourself in a forest of sturdy maples, averaging from seventy-five to one hundred and twenty-five feet in height, and from three to five feet in diameter. Before you are two or three large kettles, hung on a pole, and beneath them is a blazing fire. The kettles are half full of the amber-colored syrup; and you, with dish and spoon, together with some fifteen or twenty others, are testing its quality. You enjoy it heartily, for the parties are all in high spirits, and the woods echo to the songs that are sung, and the jokes that are perpetrated on all sides. Around you the violets and arbutus are blooming, and you are induced to wander away along the paths that wind through the woods in every direction in search of the flowers that are springing up in their dim recesses. If you have never attended one of those good old-fashioned sugar parties, allow me to invite you to visit us another season; and, if you have, you will be equally welcome.

"H. L. S."

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LE CONTINENT EUROPEAN.--Mr. P. Beaugereau, aided by several of his countrymen, has begun the publication in our city of a French weekly newspaper. He looks for patronage not only to the French residents in this section of the country, but to foreigners and Americans who speak or read French. We wish him a large share of success!

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"MRS. HALE'S COOK-BOOK" we will furnish at $1.25, and pay the postage. Mrs. Hale's "Household Book" on the same terms.

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BACK numbers of the "Lady's Book" can be supplied from January, as the work is stereotyped.

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WE have lost a friend in Philip G. Collins, a member of the firm of T. K. & P. G. Collins, who print the "Lady's Book." We have been acquainted with him for many years, and had many opportunities of studying him closely. Few men possessed a clearer mind, or could better express themselves than Mr. Collins. His reading was very extensive, and his retention wonderful. We copy the following notice from the "North American" of this city, written by one who knew him well:--

"PHILIP G. COLLINS.--The demise of Philip G. Collins, of the well-known firm of T. K. & P. G. Collins, of this city, has left a vacancy in the ranks of practical printers among us, which few are competent to fill. His knowledge of his art was equally intimate and exact. He was, we believe, one of the founders of the Typographical Society, in the welfare of which he manifested, to the day of his death, a warm interest. His qualities of head and heart won the esteem of all who knew him; and his loss will be deeply regretted, not only by his immediate family, but by a large circle of admiring acquaintances who partook of his friendship."

* * * * *

IN answer to our friend of the "West Philadelphia Reporter," we must say that we do not wonder that the mistake is made. He will see that when our name is set in capitals it does make LOUISA GODEY. But that portrait will show them that we are not of the same gender as Lingos dulcinea.

Amo amas, I love a lass,
As cedar tall and slender;
Sweet cowslip's grace is her nominative case,
And she's of the feminine gender.

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"GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK.--We have received this beautiful periodical from its polite and accomplished editor. It is filled with reading matter of the highest order, and in engravings it surpasses anything we have seen. In this department it is far ahead of any other American Magazine. Godey is particularly fortunate in catering for the literary public, and especially does he please the ladies. In fact, we believe that about three-fourths (and a _little over_) of his _fair_ subscribers have fallen in love with 'THAT LIKENESS.' (We hope friend G. will not step out of his boots to be told so.) No lady's table should be without the 'Book.'"--_Tenn. Christian Universalist._

No! not a bit! For that would detract from our height, and we have nothing to spare in that respect. We are only sorry that we published our likeness at that time. It was taken at a season when few subscriptions are received. Were it taken now, it would be quite a different-looking affair. The great influx of subscribers for the last six months has made us look at least ten years younger--and of course brighter.

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YES! that very thing has been bothering us, as our friend of the "Salisbury Banner" says: "How any man that has a wife can live at peace at home without subscribing for the 'Lady's Book,' passes our comprehension." And it does ours. We wish they could not.

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WE did not think that our "Book" afforded so good a subject for an alliteration. The "Genesee Flint Whig" says:--

"It is replete with attractions of every kind that a lady's book ought to possess. Amusement and instruction, fine arts and fashion, music and model cottages, nouvellettes and needlework, drawing and domestic recipes, poetry and patterns--are all interspersed with good taste and judicious arrangement."

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CASHMERE SHAWLS.--The great mart for the wool of which these shawls are made is at Kilghet, which is said to be a dependency of Ladak, and situated twenty days' journey from the northern boundaries of Cashmere. There are two kinds of it--that which can be readily dyed is white; the other sort is an ashy color, which, being with difficulty changed, or at least improved by art, is generally woven of its natural hue. About two pounds of either are obtained from a single goat once a year. After the down has been carefully separated from the hairs, it is repeatedly washed with rice starch. This process is reckoned important, and it is to the quality of the water of their valley that the Cashmerians attribute the peculiar and inimitable fineness of the fabrics produced there. At Kilghet, the best raw wool is sold for about one rupee a pound. By the preparation and washing referred to, it loses one-half, and the remainder being spun, three rupees' weight of the thread is considered worth one rupee. Shawls are made of various forms, size, and borders, which are wrought separately, with the view of adapting them to the different markets. Those sent to Turkey used to be of the softest and most delicate texture. Carpets and counterpanes are fabricated of the hair or coarser part of the wool.

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"GODEY'S GALLERY OF STEEL ENGRAVINGS.--We are indebted to the publisher of 'Godey's Lady's Book' for Nos. 1 and 2 of these Splendid Steel Engravings. Over thirty of the finest are neatly done up in each number, and are furnished for the low price of fifty cents per number--a very pretty ornament for the parlor."--_Litchfield Inquirer._

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HOW TO MAKE DEAF PERSONS HEAR THE PIANO-FORTE.--The instrument should be opened, and a rod of deal wood provided about half an inch thick, three-quarters wide, and long enough to reach from the bridge of the sounding-board to the mouth of the deaf person. If one end of this rod be made to rest firmly on the bridge, and the other end be held between the teeth, the softest sounds will be distinctly communicated.--_Musical Transcript._

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A DEFENCE OF STORY WRITERS.--The "Marysville Advocate" says:--

"Godey's Lady's Book has been received; it contains some excellent tales, that bear a moral on every page. We are at issue with those who are opposed to this class of reading. Whenever scenes are portrayed that resemble such as are of frequent occurrence in the world, even should the narrative be drawn entirely from the fertile imagination of its author, we approve of its perusal. The reader gleans a knowledge of events from it, that might otherwise remain a sealed book. Who, for instance, would ever dream (had they never witnessed them) of the sufferings of widows and orphans in cities, so graphically and pathetically depicted by that prince of writers, T. S. Arthur, in his 'Trials of a Needlewoman'?

"'Letters left at the Pastry-Cook's' are written with great _naïveté_, and display considerable familiarity with human nature."

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NEWS FOR THE LADIES.--An extraordinary custom prevails among the Vizres, a tribe occupying an extensive district in Cabul, among the mountains between Persia and India. The women choose their husbands, not the husbands their wives. If a woman be pleased with a man, she sends the drummer of the camp to pin a handkerchief to his cap, with the pin she uses to fasten her hair. The drummer watches his opportunity and does this in public, naming the woman; and the man is obliged to marry if he can pay her price to her father.

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THE "Covington Kentuckian" is responsible for the following:--

"Somebody says 'there ought to be in every well-regulated family at least one baby, just for the fun of the thing;' so we say of the 'Lady's Book;' every family ought to have at least one copy, 'just for the fun of the thing.'"

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TO writers in general, and for those of the "Lady's Book" in particular. We regret that we cannot reply to all the kind letters sending us articles for insertion, as our time will not permit.

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MARRY.--Jeremy Taylor says: "If you are for pleasure, marry; if you prize rosy health, marry. A good wife is Heaven's last best gift to man; his angel and minister of graces innumerable; his gem of many virtues; his casket of jewels; her voice is sweet music; her smiles, his brightest day; her kiss, the guardian of his innocence; her arms, the pale of his safety, the balm of his health, the balsam of his life; her industry, his surest wealth; her economy, his safest steward; her lips, his faithful counsellors; her bosom, the softest pillow of his cares; and her prayers, the ablest of Heaven's blessings on his head."

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TWO charming women were discussing one day what it is which constitutes beauty in the hand. They differed in opinion as much as in the shape of the beautiful member whose merits they were discussing. A gentleman friend presented himself, and by common consent the questions were referred to him. It was a delicate matter. He thought of Paris and the three goddesses. Glancing from one to the other of the beautiful white hands presented to him, which, by the way, he had the cunning to hold for some time in his own, for purposes of examination, he replied, at last: "I give it up; the question is too hard for me; but ask the poor, and they will tell you that the most beautiful hand in the world is the hand that _gives_."

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CURIOUS EFFECT OF THE CENSUS.--_Punch_, most ungallantly, makes the following remarks: "One of the most remarkable of the _Results of the Census_ was its effect on the age of that beautiful production of nature, familiarly known as the British female. The census had, in fact, the same sort of operation on the ages of women as a declaration of war would have on the public funds. Our own cook, who had been familiarly quoted in the house as upwards of fifty, fell suddenly to thirty-eight, at which she has nominally remained; but no settling day has been appointed, nor is it likely that there will be any settling at such a clearly ideal figure."

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WE published some time since a statement that cranberries were an excellent remedy for erysipelas. The "New Haven Palladium" says:--

"We are able to record another case of the complete cure of erysipelas by the simple application of the raw cranberries pounded fine. The patient was a young lady, one side of whose face had become so much swollen and inflamed that the eye had become closed and the pain excessive. A poultice of cranberries was applied, and after several changes, the pain ceased, the inflammation subsided, and in the course of a couple of days every vestige of the disease had disappeared. The case occurred in the family of one of the editors of the 'Palladium,' and we can therefore vouch for its truth."

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MISS LESLIE'S NEW RECEIPTS FOR COOKING.--T. B. Peterson of this city is about to bring out a new edition of "Miss Leslie's New Receipts for Cooking." A very excellent work.

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PEACH-STONES.--We acknowledge the receipt of several peach-stones from that celebrated tree, the fruit of which we chronicled some time since. They were sent us by our ever-attentive friend, Mr. Andrews, editor of that popular paper, the "Macon Citizen."

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THE following remarks were endorsed on an Augusta, Ga., bank note received a few days since, in payment for a subscription to the "Lady's Book":--

"I give you very freely, although it is in payment of an unjust debt. The cheerfulness with which I part with you results from the fact that it will save me from innumerable duns.

H. I. P."

"I part with this bill as cheerfully as did Mr. H. I. P. I spend it for supper, lodgings, and breakfast, at the poorest tavern on earth. I spend it cheerfully, because it enables me to get away.

L. C. K."

"And I for hitching my horse to a fence in Pulaski, Tenn.

W. O. W."

"And I part with you for the best magazine in the world, 'Godey's Lady's Book.'

A. D. S."

The following was on a note, Bank of South Carolina, received from the same person:--

"I part with you freely, as you go to pay for the best magazine in America, 'Godey's Lady's Book.'

A. D. S."

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YOUNG ladies had better try the following before they say "Yes!"--

If a man waits patiently while a woman is "putting her things on," or "shopping," he will make a good husband.

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WE shall begin to make a stir by and by, about not crediting articles taken from the "Lady's Book." We can't prevent the English Magazines from copying without crediting, but we shall certainly take the liberty of cutting from our exchange any paper that we find doing it in this country. A Boston paper recently published a story without credit, and when informed that it was our article, they made the _amende_; but in the same paper that contained the apology was one of the very best articles we ever published, "The Fountain very far Down," with the name of the author, Mrs. Virginia F. Townsend, omitted, and no credit given to the "Book." Look out, gentlemen, if ---- pay for stories and give you the privilege of copying them, the least you can do is to give us credit for them.

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BIZARRE.--A new volume of this interesting work is now being published. We do not know who is the editor, but he makes an excellent work. The publisher is G. A. Correa, No. 232 Chestnut St. The price per annum is $2.

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ORDERS for the new fashions continue to pour in upon us. Every one is attended to and forwarded within two days after its receipt. We have lately had three orders for lady's wearing apparel, amounting to $275, and have sent any number of White's bonnets and Mrs. Suplee's patterns.

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SCIENTIFIC AGREEMENT.--A California paper tells the story of a showman who delighted an "appreciating public" with a view of the Mammoth Cave. It was his custom, as each scene was exhibited, to explain it. When the great cave came to view, he stepped forward and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a great phenomenon, indeed the greatest in the world. The learned of all nations have visited it; but none could agree as to the cause which had produced it; they all came to this grand conclusion, that it was one of the most tremendous holes in the ground they had ever seen."

GERANIUMS.

(_From Mrs. Hale's New Household Receipt-Book._)

THE shrubby kinds are commonly increased by cuttings, which, if planted in June or July, and placed in the shade, will take root in five weeks. They are the most tender, and when placed out of doors, should be defended from strong winds, and be so placed as to enjoy the sun until eleven o'clock in the morning. As the shrubby kinds grow fast, so as to fill the pots with their roots, and push them through the opening at the bottom, they should be moved every two or three weeks in summer, and the fresh roots cut off. They should also be newly potted twice in the summer: once about a month after they are placed abroad, and again towards the end of August. When this is done, all the roots outside the earth should be pared off, and as much of the old earth removed as can be done without injuring the plants. They should then be planted in a larger pot; some fresh earth should first be laid at the bottom, and on that the plant should be placed, so that the old earth adhering to it may be about an inch below the rim of the pot; it should next be filled up, and the pot slightly shaken; the earth must then be gently pressed down at the top, leaving a little space for water to be given without running over the rim; finally, the plant should be liberally watered, and the stem fastened to a stake, to prevent the wind displacing the roots before they are newly fixed.

As the branches grow, and new leaves are formed at the top of them, the lower ones may die, and should be plucked off every week.

Geranium slips should be planted in May, June, or July, taking only the last year's shoots, from which the leaves must be stripped. When planted, give them water, and place them in the shade: when they have taken root, let them have the sun in the morning. The slips chosen for cutting should not be such as bear flowers; and they should be inserted about half their length in the earth.

Geraniums, except the shrubby kinds, require shelter from frost only, and should have free air admitted to them, when the weather is not very severe. In sultry weather, they should all be watered liberally every morning, except some few of a succulent nature, which must be watered sparingly; the latter may be known by plucking a leaf from them. Geraniums may be watered three times a week, when not frosty, in winter.

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DR. R. MONTGOMERY BIRD.--We have been favored with a lithographic portrait of our lamented friend, and it is the best likeness, we can safely say, that we ever saw of any person. "It is his image as he lived." The drawing is by Alfred Newsam; the printing by Duval.

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WE found the following beautiful article in the "Rochester Daily Democrat":--

A GRAVE IN THE DESERT.--The grave of JAMES F. DEWEY, a brother of D. M. D., of this city, was recently visited by a friend, who found it upon a knoll, on the bank of a stream, near the village of Rag Town, the first station west of the Great Desert. The resting-place of our young townsman was inclosed with a novel description of paling. At this point--the desert having been crossed, and El Dorado in full prospect--the emigrants abandon and break up their wagons, and throw aside all heavy lumber, going through the remainder of the journey light. The wagon-tires that are found there cast away were set up around the grave, interlocked so as to form a fence, and about them were twined trace chains, to render it more substantial and slightly ornamental. In the silence of the plain, by the side of running waters--the first that gladdens the eyes and soothes the lips of the emigrant on the other side of the Great American Desert--he sleeps well. His death was caused by the bite of a scorpion.

PHILADELPHIA AGENCY.

A WORD FROM THE FASHION EDITOR.--We are desired by this lady to mention one or two things to her patrons; the first is, that sufficient time must be given her when orders are received to have dresses made. A case in point has just occurred. A gentleman brought an order to have several dresses made up. He arrived on Wednesday; they must _positively_ be done on Saturday following, to be packed with his goods here. Knowing the impossibility of having the material and trimming purchased, and the dresses made in that time, the articles and trimmings only were purchased, and the patterns to make them by were sent. Besides, there were books, mantle ornaments, &c., to procure. They were all ready and packed on the day. The gentleman did not call until thirteen days had elapsed, and then we were desired to send them by express. The dresses could have been made, if our Fashion Editor had been allowed the thirteen days from the time the order was received. There is one other matter she wishes us to express: cheap as articles are in this city, she cannot procure ten dollars' worth of any articles for five dollars.

Since writing the above, another case has occurred. A lady sent on for materials for a dress, and the same to be made up. The order and money were received on Monday. On Wednesday, early in the morning, an order was received to deliver the dress to the bearer. The people of Philadelphia are pretty smart; but dressmakers--good ones--are perfect autocrats. They are like what the lover said of fathers: "they have flinty hearts; no tears can move them." From one to two weeks is necessary to have a dress made.

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LADIES all, do put the _State_ your town is in when you write.

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"Mrs. M. E. C."--Sent apron pattern and music on 21st.

"Miss M. S. G."--Sent all your goods in one large box by Adams's Express on 22d, and sent you receipt by mail.

"Mrs. J. H."--Sent patterns on 22d.

"Mrs. A. P."--Sent patterns on 22d.

"Mrs. B."--Sent patterns on 22d.

"Mrs. E. C."--Sent patterns on 23d.

"S. E. A."--Sent shawl by Adams's Express 24th.

"Eustatia A."--We have more of your No. 1 inquiry than we can use in three years. In answer to question 2, our own cotton has entirely superseded Evans's. Can furnish you at 8 cents a spool. Remittance received and "Book" sent.

"C. F. B."--Sent materials for dress by Adams & Co. on 25th.

"Mrs. S. J. F."--Sent patterns by mail on 25th.

"A. L. M."--Pronounced _Gódey_; accent on first syllable.

"N. W."--Sent bracelets by mail on 27th.

When information is asked, a stamp must be inclosed to pay return postage.

"A Subscriber," at Fredericksburg, O.--Answer by Fashion Editor: Only plain colors. Send $1.50, and I will send you a pattern of a dress. The watch-pocket should be on the left side; they are made plain, as they are on the inside of the dress, and not seen.

"Miss R. W. T."--Sent patterns on the 27th.

"Miss A. L. O."--Sent brushes by Kinsley & Co. on the 28th.

"Miss A. P."--"Spectator," one volume $2.50, in six volumes $9. Have nothing to do with eye-cups.

"Miss A. B. H."--Sent two parasols by Kinsley's Express on 28th.

"Mrs. M."--Black velvet.

"Mrs. N. M. T."--Sent jewelry by mail 29th.

"Miss A. H."--Can get at White & Co. any kind of bonnet you may want.

"J. W. L."--Sent patterns and Condor Pen by mail 28th.

"Mrs. J. C. T."--Sent patterns on the 28th.

"M. T."--Sent patterns on the 28th.

"S. E. D."--Sent patterns on the 28th.

"S. F."--Sent gold pen on the 28th.

"S. H. D."--Sent articles by mail on 30th.

"Mrs. J. B. B."--Sent patterns on the 1st.

"Miss S. F. L."--Sent patterns on the 1st.

"Mrs. L. L. G."--Sent box by Adams's Express on 1st.

"H. C. P."--Sent chart by mail on 4th.

"W. L. A."--The two bonnets delivered to Dr. A., April 4, '54.

"Mrs. S. H. A."--Sent bonnet by Adams & Co., April 4, '54.

"J. C. W."--Sent box by Adams & Co. on 5th.

"Miss C. V. J."--Sent box by Adams & Co. on 5th.

"Miss J. H."--Sent needles on the 7th.

"H. E. G."--Sent pattern on the 7th.

"New Bedford."--We were obliged to paste your name on the back of letter; could not make it out. It is not pleasant, we know; but every lady should write her name plain, and put before it Miss or Mrs., as the case may be.

"Mrs. C. B."--Sent patterns by Adams's Express on 8th.

"Mrs. T. S. S."--Sent patterns by mail on 11th.

"Mrs. J. C. C."--Sent patterns by mail on 11th.

"Mrs. S. W. B."--Sent patterns by mail on 12th.

"Mrs. D. E. H."--Sent blonde by mail on 12th.

"Mrs. M. T."--Sent patterns and cotton by mail on 13th.

"A. M. M."--Sent patterns by mail on 13th.

"Mrs. M. L. C."--Sent patterns by Adams & Co. on 13th.

"Mrs. J. B. H.," California.--Sent jewelry and patterns by mail on 15th.

"An Old Subscriber," Detroit.--Can you inform us in or about what number the crochet alphabet was published? Perhaps we can supply you the numbers. Many thanks for your good wishes.

"Ella H."--We will publish it in our July number.

"A. H. O."--Gold spectacles sent by mail 17th.

"Miss C. L. B."--To engrave and publish the diagram you request will cost us $50, and we can send you a pattern that will only cost you $1.25.

"Mrs. General P."--Sent patterns by mail on 17th.

No orders attended to unless the cash accompanies them.

All persons requiring answers by mail must send a post-office stamp.

The Borrower's Department.

"_The wicked borroweth and payeth not again._"

THE "Southern Sentinel" says: "We do not see how the ladies can do without this admirable work." They don't; those who are not subscribers borrow. It is a fair calculation to suppose that there are at least five persons who read each number of the "Lady's Book." Now, as we have only 80,000 subscribers, this would make 400,000 readers, 320,000 of whom borrow the "Book."

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"GODEY AGAIN.--'Have you received the Lady's Book for April?' says a lady friend to us. 'Really,' she continued. 'I _do_ think that GODEY is the most enterprising and shrewd publisher in the Union. He is always "ahead of time," and I can hardly wait even then! Will you _lend it to me as soon as it comes_?' Of course, we wanted to accommodate a friend--and especially awkward was it to say _no_ to a lady; but we told her that we wanted to keep them neat and clean for binding, and gently hinted that for $3 she could get it without being dependent upon the printer! After second thought, however, we have concluded to lend _this_ incomparable number, making the borrower promise to immediately subscribe."--_Palmyra Sentinel._

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THE "Lawrence Journal" says:--

"We want to raise a club of about one hundred in Newcastle; so please hand in your names, with the cash, and hereafter don't ask us, or our better half, to lend it when you can get it for two dollars per annum."

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THE "Manheim Sentinel" vows that he will not lend his number. "We have been already asked by several to lend ours, but our answer is, 'Ladies, we don't lend Godey.'"

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THE "Newark Democrat" is positive. It says:--

"Remember, we can't lend our 'Book.' Godey has interdicted it expressly."

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"GODEY FOR MARCH.--We came very near forgetting our old friend and always welcome visitor, 'Godey's Lady's Book.' Our apology is that the ladies--bless their precious souls!--took possession of it instanter, and we have not seen it since. But in subsequent discussions of matters of feminine delicacy and taste, we have been reminded that GODEY is the _primum mobile_ of fashion, and the oracle of parlor conversations. According to the ladies, he is a 'jewel'--with us, he is a 'trump.'"--_Geo. Am. Union._

Chemistry for Youth.

DECOMPOSITION OF WATER.--Take a grain of potassium, wrap it up in a small piece of thin paper, and introduce it into a test tube, or small phial, inverted under water, and full of the same fluid. It immediately rises to the top, and, combining with the oxygen of the water, an equivalent of hydrogen gas is given off, which expels the water from the tube or phial, and occupies its place. A lighted match brought to the mouth of the tube will prove the presence of the hydrogen.

* * * * *

THE ILLUMINATOR AND EXTINGUISHER.--Take three glass jars, of equal heights, the first containing common air, the second carbonic acid gas, and the third oxygen gas; plunge, successively, a lighted candle into these jars, first into that holding common air, then into the carbonic acid, and, lastly, into the oxygen gas. In the jar containing atmospheric air, the candle will burn with ordinary brightness; in that filled with carbonic acid gas, the flame will be instantly extinguished, but the glowing wick will be relighted in the oxygen, and burn with increased brilliancy.

* * * * *

MINERAL CHAMELEON.--If one part of the oxide of manganese, and three parts of the nitrate of potass, be heated to redness in a crucible till no more oxygen gas be given off (the heat must be very considerable), a friable green powder is obtained, generally known by the name of mineral chameleon, from its property of changing color during its solution in water. If a small quantity of the powder be put into a glass of water, it soon forms a green solution, when it passes into a violet hue; and lastly it becomes of a beautiful red color. If put into warm water, the changes take place more rapidly, and are much more diversified. Mineral chameleon is a manganate of potass, and it rapidly absorbs oxygen from the atmosphere. The changes of color that occur are owing to the different degrees of oxidizement of the metal.

Enigmas.

ANSWERS TO ENIGMAS IN MAY NUMBER.

16. Eternity. 17. Flea. 18. Prayer-book. 19. A bullet.

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ENIGMAS.

20.

I COME from Nova Zembla's coast,
Greenland's realms of ice and frost,
Where the Arctic's waters white
Glisten in the moon's chill light;
Where the sunbeam's ardent ray
Burns but for a single day.
O'er the "living and the dead"
I my restless course have sped,
And many a work of woe, I ween,
Showeth where my flight hath been.
At a noble's dwelling, rich and high,
A beggar waited, with downcast eye;
His timeworn locks were silvery white,
And he prayed for shelter a single night;
But the haughty menials within the wall
Heeded not his weary call.
I breathed on him with my icy breath,
And lo! his limbs were stiff in death!
A pale young mother by want opprest
Clasped her babe to her aching breast;
I listened as in accents wild,
She prayed that God would save her child.
Then I swept along in the hurricane's play,
While skylit torches illumed my way.
With the shade of my measureless wing I embraced
That mother and child, and they both are at rest.
I hurried me on in the tempest's black car,
With the thunder to herald my coming afar;
I stayed not, nor stopped till I reached the broad main,
Where I lashed the bright waves till they maddened with pain.
I call to the clouds; at my voice they arise,
And ope, at my bidding, the gates of the skies.
No law have I but to work my will;
And where is the power that can bid me "Be still?"

LUCIA C. PENDLETON.

21.

OF brethren seven
The youngest by birth,
But, favored by heaven,
I'm chiefest on earth.

I'm regarded with love
By my friends good and wise,
And am honored above
Every crown 'neath the skies

There's a charm in my name,
All so radiant and pure,
That my canonized fame
With the world must endure.

Such a glory I shed
Upon each mundane scene--
On the dungeon of dread,
Or the court of the queen.

The fair landscape I gild
For contemplative eyes,
As all nature seems filled
With a radiance they prize.

My six brothers, in twin,
May bring riches and pleasure,
But in me you'll discern
That unparalleled treasure--

That alleviates care,
That reanimates labor,
And man's peace should repair
With his God and his neighbor.

22.

A WARRIOR and a man I am,
And gallant fame have I;
Yet my humanity's a sham,
For I neither live nor die.

Receipts, &c.

DOMESTIC RECEIPTS.

EGGS AND OMELETTES.

TO CHOOSE EGGS.--In choosing eggs, hold them to the light; if they are clear, they are fresh; if they are thick, they are stale; if they have a black spot attached to the shell, they are worthless. Eggs should be new, or not more than twenty-four hours old, when they are stored, else their flavor cannot be relied on. The safest mode of choosing them is by holding them to the light of a candle. Unless an egg is perfectly fresh, it is unfit for any purpose. Bought eggs ought always to be suspected; therefore, let an earthen pan be kept with charcoal or lime-water to put them in. The longer they are kept in it the better they will be, as these waters destroy must, and even corruption. You may try the freshness of eggs by putting them in a pan of cold water. Those that sink the soonest are the freshest. Eggs may be preserved a short time by putting them in a jar of salt or lime-water, with the small ends downwards. The salt should not afterwards be used. They may be preserved several months by greasing them all over with melted mutton suet, and wedging them close together in a box of bran. The small ends always downwards.

* * * * *

TO KEEP EGGS FOR WINTER USE.--Pour a full gallon of boiling water on two quarts of quicklime and half a pound of salt; when cold, mix it into an ounce of cream of tartar. The day following put in the eggs. After the lime has been stirred well into the boiling water, a large part of it will settle at the bottom of the vessel, on which the eggs will remain. Keep them covered with the liquor, and they will keep for two years.

* * * * *

TO BOIL EGGS TO EAT IN THE SHELLS, OR FOR SALADS.--The fresher laid the better; put them into boiling water; if you like the white just set, about two minutes' boiling is long enough; a new-laid egg will take a little longer; if you wish the yolk to be set, it will take three, and to boil it hard for a salad, ten minutes. A new-laid egg will require boiling longer than a stale one, by half a minute.

* * * * *

POACHED EGGS.--The beauty of a poached egg is for the yolk to be seen blushing through the white, which should only be just sufficiently hardened to form a transparent veil for the egg. Have some boiling water in a teakettle; pass as much of it through a clean cloth as will half fill a stewpan; break the egg into a cup, and when the water boils, remove the stewpan from the stove, and gently slip the egg into it; it must stand till the white is set; then put it over a very moderate fire, and as soon as the water boils, the egg is ready; take it up with a slice, and neatly round off the raged edges of the white; send it to table on bread toasted on one side only, with or without butter.

* * * * *

TO POACH EGGS IN THE FRYING-PAN.--Put very little butter, oil, or top-pot into the frying-pan; break the eggs gently into a deep cup, of the size the egg is to be of, sometimes smaller, sometimes larger; with a quick slight turn of the hand, turn the cup over with the egg into the pan, and leave the cup upon it, and continue to turn over the cups till all the eggs are put in; the fire must be very slow. When the first egg has taken, raise the cup a little to ascertain it. They must be done very slowly, otherwise the under part will be overdone. Dress them over parsley, spinach, or on toasted bread.

* * * * *

CUPPED EGGS.--Put a spoonful of very nice high-seasoned brown gravy into each cup; set the cups in a saucepan of boiling water, and, when the gravy heats, drop a fresh egg into each cup; take off the saucepan, and cover it close till the eggs are nicely and tenderly cooked; dredge them with very fine mace, or nutmeg and salt. Serve them in a hot-water plate, covered with a napkin.

* * * * *

ŒUFS BROUILLES.--Break four or six eggs; beat them and put them into a saucepan with a piece of butter, a little salt, and a spoonful of sauce or gravy, which makes the eggs softer; stir them over the fire until sufficiently thick; serve on a plate garnished with toasted bread. To eggs dressed in this way, ham, mushrooms, &c., minced, may be added. The difference between this and an omelette is, that an omelette is compact and turns out smooth, whereas _œufs brouillés_ are less done, and are, therefore, broken. In Ireland, where it is in general use, it is usually served upon hot buttered toast, and is there called "buttered eggs." It is also very common in France, where it is usually served for breakfast.

* * * * *

_Or_: Butter a dish well, and sprinkle it with salt; then break the eggs very carefully, so as not to disturb the yolk; add a little more salt, and some white pepper; melt a small quantity of butter, and pour it gently over, with one or two spoonfuls of cream. Put the dish over a slow fire, and finish the eggs by covering them with a red-hot shovel.

* * * * *

SOUFFLE FRANCAISE.--Put into a stewpan one ounce of butter; when melted, add two table-spoonfuls of flour; stir them well over the fire, so that the flour be thoroughly cooked, but not colored; add by degrees a wineglass of boiling cream, and four times that quantity of boiling milk; work it quite smooth, take it off the fire, add four yolks of eggs, sugar to palate, a grain of salt, and a table-spoonful of orange-flower water; whip up strongly the whites of eight eggs, mix them lightly in the batter, put the whole into a soufflé-dish, and bake for an hour. The flavor of this souffle may be varied according to fancy, omitting the orange-flower water, and substituting either vanilla, curacoa, noyeau, maraschino, chocolate, coffee, &c.

* * * * *

A COMMON OMELETTE.--From four to eight very fresh eggs may be used for this, according to the sized dish required. Half a dozen will generally be sufficient. Break them singly and carefully; clear them, or, when they are sufficiently whisked, pour them through a sieve, and resume the beating until they are very light. Add to them from half to a whole teaspoonful of salt, and a seasoning of pepper. Dissolve in a small frying-pan a couple of ounces of butter; pour in the eggs, and as soon as the omelette is well risen and firm throughout, slide it on to a hot dish, fold it together like a turnover, and serve it immediately. From five to seven minutes will fry it.

* * * * *

A SWEET OMELETTE WITH PRESERVE.--Beat up four eggs with a little salt; add sugar; fry the omelette in fresh butter, make a half pound of preserve liquid by shaking it in a little water over the fire; spread half upon the omelette, double it up, and pour the remainder over the top.

* * * * *

FRENCH OMELETTE.--Beat up four eggs with a table-spoonful of milk, a little salt and pepper; put two ounces of fresh butter in the pan, and let it remain for five minutes; beat the eggs for the same time; pour them into the pan, and let them remain quiet for a few minutes, taking care to separate the omelette gently from the bottom of the pan with a fork; now shake it to keep it from burning at the bottom. It will not take more than five minutes in cooking. Chopped parsley, shallot, or grated ham may be added.

* * * * *

THE SICK ROOM AND NURSERY.

FAINTING.--In cases of fainting, apply to the nostrils and temples some spirits of compound spirits of ammonia, and give a few drops in a wineglass of water inwardly.

* * * * *

LINSEED TEA.--Pour a quart of boiling water on one ounce of linseed, bruised, and half an ounce of sliced liquorice-root; let it stand in a covered vessel near the fire four or five hours; then strain.

* * * * *

CHILBLAIN LOTION.--Mix two ounces of sal-ammoniac with a pint of water.

* * * * *

TO MAKE BARLEY-WATER.--Well wash two ounces of pearl barley; boil it a few minutes in half a pint of water, which is to be thrown away; then add four pints of boiling water; keep it boiling till two only are left, and strain. A small quantity of lemon-juice may be added.

* * * * *

WORM POWDER.--Take of rhubarb and jalap, each fifteen grains, and mix with them four grains of calomel; take in honey.

* * * * *

THE NAUSEOUS TASTE OF MEDICINE PREVENTED.--By chewing aromatic substances, such as orange or lemon-peel, cloves or other spice, before taking medicine, little or no taste will be perceived. The mouth can also be thus prepared beforehand by a peppermint lozenge, or even a lump of sugar.

The Toilet.

ALMOND PASTE.--Half a pound of bitter almonds; two ounces of raisins, stoned and well pounded in a mortar till they become quite a paste. Add a small wineglassful of French brandy, and rather less than half a glass of fine sweet oil. Beat it well, and put it in a pot for use.

* * * * *

LAVENDER WATER.--One pint of the best rectified spirits of wine, one ounce of oil of lavender, one teaspoonful of ambergris, and half an ounce of bergamot.

* * * * *

FOR CHAPPED HANDS.--Mix a quarter of a pound of unsalted hog's lard, which has been washed in common and then rose-water, with the yolks of two new-laid eggs and a large spoonful of honey. Add as much fine oatmeal or almond-paste as will work it into a proper consistence, and rub in well before going to bed.

* * * * *

A GOOD DENTIFRICE is equal parts of powdered myrrh, chalk, and orris-root.

* * * * *

THE black spots on the face are occasioned by obstructions in the skin. Rubbing well with soap and flannel is better than the application of spirit. Pressing on the spots firmly with the spill of a watch-key will sometimes cause the black marks to come out. Friction will prevent their occurring, as they are occasioned by languid circulation and a want of frequent scrubbing. In such a state of the skin, frequent warm bathing would be beneficial.

* * * * *

MANAGEMENT OF THE FINGER NAILS.--According to European fashion, they should be of an oval figure, transparent, without specks or ridges of any kind; the semilunar fold, or white half-circle, should be fully developed, and the pellicle, or cuticle which forms the configuration around the root of the nails, thin and well defined, and, when properly arranged, should represent as nearly as possible the shape of a half-filbert. The proper management of the nails is to cut them of an oval shape, corresponding with the form of the fingers; they should not be allowed to grow too long, as it is difficult to keep them clean; nor too short, as it allows the ends of the fingers to become flattened and enlarged by being pressed upwards against the nails, and gives them a clumsy appearance. The epidermis, which forms the semicircle round the nail, and adheres to it, requires particular attention, as it is frequently dragged on with its growth, drawing the skin below the nail so tense as to cause it to crack and separate into what are called agnails. This is easily remedied by carefully separating the skin from the nail by a blunt, half-round instrument. Many persons are in the habit of continually cutting this pellicle, in consequence of which it becomes exceeding irregular, and often injurious to the growth of the nail. They also frequently pick under the nails with a pin, penknife, or the point of sharp scissors, with the intention of keeping them clean, by doing which they often loosen them, and occasion considerable injury. The nails should be cleansed with a brush not too hard; and the semicircular skin should not be cut away, but only loosened, without touching the quick, the fingers being afterwards dipped in tepid water, and the skin pushed back with a towel. This method, which should be practised daily, will keep the nails of a proper shape, prevent agnails, and the pellicles from thickening or becoming rugged. When the nails are naturally rugged or ill-formed, the longitudinal ridges or fibres should be scraped and rubbed with lemon, afterwards rinsed in water, and well dried with the towel; but if the nails are very thin, no benefit will be derived by scraping; on the contrary, it might cause them to split. If the nails grow more to one side than the other, they should be cut in such a manner as to make the point come as nearly as possible in the centre of the end of the finger.

Centre-Table Gossip.

COSTLY CHINA.

HAVING seen much of primitive districts ourselves, where "china" is known as crockery, and dinner sets are "dishes," we can tell how incredible it will seem to some of our more remote readers, when we tell them there is a single set in our city now on sale, at the price of two thousand dollars. The cost of a small farm swallowed up in one set of dinner dishes, liable to breakage, too--more liable than less precious ware. We quite agree with a favorite handmaid, to whom the advertisement was read--

"La, ma'am, I shouldn't like to have the washin' and handlin' of 'em."

Imagine the ease with which the possessor of this treasure would preside over his table, with his property at the mercy of careless or hurried waiting-men; his most elegant courtesies cut short by the imminent danger of a soup-tureen, valued at fifty dollars; the point of his choicest _bon mot_ lost by the capsizing of a gravy-boat. Better a dinner of herbs, from white stone ware, so far as equanimity is concerned.

As a work of art--for only a true artist could design these graceful shapes and trace the exquisite designs--the set cannot be too highly valued, and the owners of the palatial residences on Fifth Avenue, who have their billiard-rooms and bowling-saloons, their picture-galleries, and their stables grained in oak, might thank the good taste of the importer, who has placed such a gem within their reach. Rare china, in these luxurious days, is a fashion and a taste which our fashionable circles are just beginning to cultivate. Collecting it has long been a favorite pursuit abroad with those whose wealth would permit so expensive a hobby. What will be thought of a sale like this, which we copy from an English print?--

"The chief attraction of the sale at Bedford Lodge, the late residence of the Duchess of Bedford, was a collection of rare old Sèvres, Dresden, and other porcelain, and some magnificent specimens of the now almost obsolete Chelsea ware, together with a number of very fine old marqueterie cabinets. Among the more remarkable lots sold may be instanced a set of three small toilet-cases of rare old Chelsea ware (measuring only four or five inches square), mazarine blue ground, richly embellished in gold, with birds and flowers, which realized, after an active competition, two hundred guineas; a pair of fine old Chelsea china vase-shaped candelabras, painted in figures and flowers, on a turquoise ground, sold for seventy guineas; a pair of elegant small Sèvres vases, with handles, on white fluted pedestals, forty-nine guineas; a cabinet of turquoise Sèvres, consisting of plateau, a two-handled cup and saucer, and a sugar-bowl and cover, delicately painted, with cupids, camaien pink, fifty-five guineas; a superb Sèvres vase, with handles, lapis blue ground, richly decorated with gold, and painted with medallion portraits, in grisaille, and garlands of flowers. This beautiful vase, which stands about thirteen inches high, realized one hundred and fifty-six guineas; two Dresden vases, with handles of elegant form, and painted with flowers, forty guineas; a Palissey ware candelabra, for four lights, and supported by néreides and masks, sold for fourteen guineas; a sculptured hand, with a bunch of grapes, in statuary marble, realized seventeen guineas; a jewel casket, with ormolu enrichments and Sèvres plaques on each side, painted with landscape and figures of a female at a fountain, forty-two guineas; a fine jewel casket, composed of plaques of rare Oriental enamelled china painted, with ormolu, fifty-eight guineas; a superb Sèvres écuelle, with cupids and bouquets of flowers, delicately pencilled in camaien pink, seventeen guineas; two fine old Dresden verrières, richly gilt borders, and painted with birds, fifteen guineas; a large Dresden ink tray, of the finest period, with scroll borderings, nineteen guineas."

A CONSIDERATION.

"SERVANTS are such a trial!" is now the general complaint. Mrs. A. has five cooks in one winter; Mrs. B. changes her chambermaid every month; Mrs. C.'s nurse neglects the baby; and Mrs. D.'s waiter is impertinent to her mistress and cross to the children. To hear a knot of ladies discuss their respective domestic grievances, one would suppose that there was no honesty of purpose and little ability left among "those of our own household." And yet in the old times which we now look upon as dark ages, in the days of our youth, when we should have been learning better lessons than idleness and extravagance, servants grew old and gray-haired in the employment of one family.

It can not be all the fault of those in service. If those who complain the most would spend half the time wasted in talking over their trials, in gaining the interest, and enlightening the ignorance of their servants, half their lamentations would be spared. Many an indifferent cook might be made capable and grateful with a little instruction, and the impertinence and idling often come from a spirit fretted by accumulated task-work, that should have been arranged to a methodical routine.

There is a good lesson worth laying to heart in the memorable last words of Justice Talfourd, the wise jurist and elegant poet. It will be remembered that he died the past spring, in the discharge of his judicial duties, in the midst of an appeal from the bench for sympathy with those we employ:--

"I am afraid we all keep too much aloof from those beneath us, and whom we encourage to look upon us with suspicion and dislike. Even to our servants, we think perhaps that we fulfil our duty when we perform our contract with them; when we pay them their wages and treat them with the civility consistent with our habits and feelings; when we curb our temper and use no violent expressions towards them. But how painful is the thought that there are men and women growing up around us, ministering to our comforts and necessities, continually inmates of our dwellings, with whose affections and natures we are as much unacquainted as if they were the inhabitants of some other sphere. This feeling, arising from that kind of reserve peculiar to the English character, does, I think, greatly tend to prevent that reciprocation of kind words and gentle affections, gracious admonitions and kind inquiries, which often, more than any book education, tend to the culture of the affections of the heart, refinement and elevation of the character of those to whom they are addressed."

EVERY LADY HER OWN DRESSMAKER.