IX. WORK IN DOORS AND OUT…

IX. WORK IN DOORS AND OUT

Home Comforts--Household Receipts--Wise Economy--Fuel--Things to Know--Cleanliness--Accidents--Agriculture--Gardening--Etc., Etc.

HOUSEHOLD MAXIMS.

1836. A short needle makes the most expedition in plain sewing.

1837. When you are particular in wishing to have precisely what you want from a butcher's, go and purchase it yourself.

1838. One flannel petticoat will wear nearly as long as two, if turned behind-part before, when the front begins to wear thin.

1839. People in general are not aware how very essential to the health of their inmates is the free admission of light into their houses.

1840. A leather strap, with a buckle to fasten, is much more commodious than a cord for a box in general use for short distances; cording and uncording is a disagreeable job.

1841. There is not any real economy in purchasing cheap cottons for gentlemen's night shirts. The cloth cuts in holes, and soon becomes bad colored in washing.

1842. Sitting to sew by candle-light by a table with a dark cloth on it is injurious to the eye-sight. When no other remedy presents itself, put a sheet of white paper before you.

1843. People very commonly complain of indigestion: how it be wondered at, when they seem by their habit of swallowing their food wholesale, to forget for what purpose they are provided with teeth.

1844. Eat slowly and you will not over-eat.

1845. Keeping the feet warm will prevent headaches.

1846. Late at breakfast--hurried for dinner--cross at tea.

1847. Between husband and wife little attentions beget much love.

1848. Always lay your table neatly, whether you have company or not.

1849. Put your balls or reels of cotton into little bags, leaving the ends out.

1850. Whatever you may choose to give away, always be sure to keep your temper.

1851. Feather beds should be opened every third year, the ticking well dusted, soaped and waxed, the feathers dressed and returned.

1852. Bed-rooms heated are pernicious to health.

1853. Beds, instead of being made up as soon as people rise out of them, ought to be turned down, and exposed to the fresh air from the open windows through the day.

1854. Feather beds, especially in youth and in warm weather, enervate the system, destroying its vigor and health. Neither should beds be too hard. Sleeping with the head under the clothes is pernicious; so, also, confined air caused by curtains.

1855. The floor is the unhealthiest part of a room, from the tendency of impure air to descend.

1856. Charcoal, when burning, should have an uncovered vessel of boiling water over it, the vapor of which will counteract the deleterious fumes.

1857. Powdered charcoal will remove smells, impurities, &c., from old glass vessels, after the grosser parts have been scoured off with sand and potash.

1858. A perfume for linen, &c., is made of rose leaves dried in the shade, mixed with powdered cloves, scraped mace, and put in little bags.

1859. Persons of defective sight, when threading a needle, should hold it over something white, by which the sight will be assisted.

1860. In mending sheets and shirts, put the pieces sufficiently large, or in the first washing the thin parts give way, and the work is all undone.

1861. Reading by candle-light, place the candle behind you, that the rays may pass over your shoulder on to the book. This will relieve the eyes.

1862. A wire fire-guard, for each fire-place in a house, costs little, and greatly diminishes the risk to life and property. Fix them before going to bed.

1863. In winter, get the work forward by daylight, to prevent running about at night with candles. Thus you escape grease spots and risks of fire.

1864. Matches, out of the reach of children, should be kept in every bedroom. They are cheap enough.

1865. Apple and suet dumplings are lighter when boiled in a net than a cloth. Scum the pot well.

1866. When chamber towels get thin in the middle, cut them in two, sew the selvages together, and hem the sides.

1867. When you dry salt for the table, do not place it in the salt-cells until it is cold, otherwise it will harden into a lump.

1868. Never put away plate, knives and forks, &c., uncleaned, or sad inconvenience will arise when the articles are wanted.

1869. After washing, overlook linen, and stitch on buttons, hooks and eyes, &c.; for this purpose, keep a "housewife's friend," full of miscellaneous threads, cottons, buttons, hooks, &c.

1870. For ventilation, open your windows both at top and bottom. The fresh air rushes in one way, while the foul makes its exit the other. This is letting in your friend and expelling your enemy.

1871. Never allow your servants to put wiped knives on your table; for, generally speaking, you may see that they have been wiped with a dirty cloth.

1872. There is not any thing gained in economy by having very young and inexperienced servants at low wages.

1873. Dirty windows speak to the passer-by of the negligence of the inmates.

1874. Carpets.--If the corner of a carpet gets loose and prevents the door opening, or trips every one up that enters the room, nail it down at once. A dog's-eared carpet marks the sloven as well as the dog's-eared book.

1875. Cravats or stocks should not be worn so tight as to compress the many large blood-vessels of the neck, which connect with the brain.

1876. Impure air of theatres, ball-rooms, and other crowded and badly-ventilated buildings and sleeping-rooms, is poison to the lungs.

1877. Eye-sight is best preserved by a moderate light--too little, strains--too much, dazzles and injures. Bathing in cold water is of service.

1878. Consumption.--Remedies.--Vigorous, daily, but not violent, exercise, and free exposure to the air, are important. As the great difficulty in medicine is in reaching the seat of this disease, frequently inhaling certain fumes may be a means of healing the lungs. Sitting and sleeping in a room through which the fumes of resin, turpentine, or other similar gums are moderately diffused, may be of service.

1879. Small Pox is prevented by vaccination, if well done. Never neglect vaccination.

1880. Water is purified by--1, filtration through gravel, sand, or soft porous stone and charcoal. Or, 2, it may be sweetened and improved by charcoal, coarsely pulverized and thrown into a vessel of water. 3, by boiling and distillation. Water is greatly improved in wells or pumps that are frequently used.

1881. Distilled Water, after being exposed to the air, is the most salubrious of all drinks, and its daily use is of the greatest importance in dyspepsia and similar diseases.

1882. Wet Clothes should not be worn near a fire, or so as to occasion sudden heat. Keep in motion till dry can be had, then change at once, and give the feet a long heating.

1883. Black Silks wash in warm small beer and milk.

HOUSEHOLD RECEIPTS FOR MANY THINGS.

1884. To Extract Grease from Clothes.--Scrape off all the grease that you can with a knife; then lay over the spot a thick brown paper, and press it with a warm iron; if the grease comes through the paper, take another piece, and so on until it does not soil the paper.

1885. If not all out, wrap a bit of cloth or flannel round the finger, dip it in spirits of wine, and rub the grease spot; this will take it out. Be careful not to have the iron too hot. Try it on white paper; if it scorches this, it is too hot.

1886. To Extract Paint from Woolen.--Rub the spot with a piece of flannel saturated with turpentine, or spirit of wine.

1887. To Preserve Hats.--Brush them always with a soft brush. Keep them in a hat box if not in constant use, as air and dust soon turn them brown. Have a stick for each hat.

1888.--Hats when wet should be handled lightly, wiped dry with a cloth or silk handkerchief, and brushed. If the fur sticks, dampen it with a sponge dipped in vinegar, and brush it dry.

1889. When heated by exercise avoid drinking cold water. Rinse the mouth with cold water before drinking.

1890. To Procure Sleep.--On going to bed take a warm or cold bath.

1891. Another Way.--Rub the body well with rough towels or the flesh-brush for a quarter of an hour.

1892. To Relieve Headache in Bed.--Wash the head in cold water, and lay aside the night-cap, but see that the feet are kept warm.

1893. The air bath is very healthful. Children especially should resort to this method of enjoying the salubrious influence of the atmosphere.

1894. Dr. Franklin's plan was to rise at day-break, and pass half an hour in his chamber undressed, reading or writing.

1895. Close Closets that have become infested with moths should be well rubbed with a strong decoction of tobacco, and repeatedly sprinkled with spirits of camphor.

1896. The Sting of a Nettle may be cured by rubbing the part with rosemary, mint, or sage leaves.

1897. Charcoal Fumes.--The usual remedies for persons overcome with the fumes of charcoal in a close apartment are, to throw cold water on the head and to bleed immediately; also apply mustard or hartshorne to the soles of the feet.

1898. An Ever-Dirty Hearth, and a grate always choked with cinders and ashes, are infallible evidences of bad house-keeping.

1899. Effects of Charcoal, in stopping putrefaction, are now well ascertained; fish or meat may be restored by boiling charcoal with them.

1900. Moths--to get rid of them.--Procure shavings of cedar-wood, and enclose in muslin bags, which should be distributed freely among the clothes.

1901. Second.--Sprinkle pimento (allspice) berries among the clothes. Sprinkle the clothes with the seeds of the musk plant.

1902. To Destroy the Eggs.--When deposited in woolen cloth, &c., use a solution of acetate of potash in spirits of rosemary, fifteen grains to the pint.

1903. To Drive away Moths from clothes, wrap up some yellow or turpentine soap in paper; or place an open bottle containing spirits of turpentine in the wardrobe.

1904. Cold Green Tea, very strong, and sweetened with sugar, when set about in saucers, attracts flies and destroys them.

1905. For Keeping a Door open, place a large brick, covered neatly with a piece of carpeting, against the door.

1906. A Stair-Carpet should never be swept down with a long broom, but always with a short-handled brush, and a dust pan held closely under each step of the stairs.

1907. A Hat should be brushed every day with a hat-brush, and twice a-day in dusty weather.

1908. Rings that have stones in them should always be taken off the finger when the hands are washed, else they become discolored.

1909. Reading in Bed at night should be avoided, as besides the danger of an accident, it never fails to injure the eyes.

1910. In Escaping from a Fire, creep or crawl along the room with your face close to the ground. Children should be early taught how to press out a spark when it happens to reach any part of their dress, and also that running into the air will cause it to blaze immediately. (See page 204.)

1911. Bronzed Chandeliers, Lamps, &c., should be merely dusted with a feather brush, or with a soft cloth, as washing them will take off the bronzing.

1912. Iron Wipers.--Old soft towels, or pieces of old sheets or tablecloths, make excellent iron wipers.

1913. To Clean Looking-Glasses.--First wash the glass all over with lukewarm soap-suds and a sponge. When dry, rub it bright with a buckskin and a little prepared chalk, finely powdered.

1914. Flowers and Shrubs should be excluded from a bed-chamber.

1915. Water of every kind, except rain water, will speedily cover the inside of a tea-kettle with an unpleasant crust; this may easily be guarded against by placing a clean oyster-shell in the tea-kettle, which will always keep it in good order, by attracting the particles of earth or of stone.

1916. Paper Fire-Screens should be coated with transparent varnish; otherwise they will soon become soiled and discolored.

1917. The best Lamp-Oil is that which is clear and nearly colorless, like water.

1918. Oil-Grease may be removed from a hearth by covering it immediately with thick hot ashes, or with burning coals.

1919. Candles improve by keeping a few months.

1920. Glass Vessels, and other utensils, may be purified and cleaned by rinsing them out with powdered charcoal.

1921. Family Clocks ought only to be oiled with the very purest oil, purified by a quart of lime-water to a gallon of oil, in which it has been well shaken, and suffered to stand for three or four days, when it may be drawn off.

1922. To Heat a Bed at a moment's notice, throw a little salt into the warming-pan, and suffer it to burn for a minute previous to use. (See page 17.)

1923. To Destroy Flies in a room, take half a teaspoonful of black pepper in powder, one teaspoonful of brown sugar, and one tablespoonful of cream, mix them well together, and place them in the room on a plate, where the flies are troublesome.

1924. Feet, to Keep Warm in a Carriage or Cold Room.--Use a stone or glass bottle filled with boiling water and wrapped in flannel.

1925. To Prevent Cold Feet at Night.--Rub the ankles and feet with the hand as hard as can be borne for five or ten minutes before retiring. This will be found an effectual remedy.

1926. Another Way.--Frequent washing, and rubbing them thoroughly dry, with a linen cloth, or flannel, is useful.

1927. To Warm Beds.--Take all the black or blazing coals out of the pan, and scatter a little salt over the remainder. This will prevent the smell of sulphur.

1928. To Explore Unventilated Places.--Light sheets of brown paper and throw into the well or cavern. Or, fix a long pipe to a pair of bellows, and blow into the place for some time.

1929. To Destroy Crickets.--Put Scotch snuff upon the holes where they come out.

1930. To Brush Clothes.--Have a wooden horse to put the clothes on, and a small cane to beat the dust out of them; also a board or table long enough for them to be put their whole length while brushing them.

1931. Have two brushes, one hard and the other soft. Use the hard brush for the great coats; the soft for the fine cloth garments. These should never be brushed with too hard a brush, as this will take off the nap.

1932. The Cane for the Clothes should not be too large. A small hand-whip is the best to beat with. Be careful not to strike the buttons.

1933. If the coat be wet and spotted with mud, let it be quite dry before brushing it. Then rub off the mud with the hands; put the coat at its full length on the board, and brush the cloth the same way the nap goes, which is toward the skirt of the coat.

1934. Chimneys, Smoky, to Cure.--A northern aspect often produces a smoky chimney.

1935. Stacks of Chimneys are less apt to smoke than single ones.

1936. Straight Funnels seldom draw well.

1937. Large Fire-Places are apt to smoke. When they do so, the lower aperture should be diminished.

1938. If the chimney smokes only when the fire is first lighted, lay any inflammable substance, as shavings, on the top of the grate; the rapid combustion of which will warm the air of the chimney, and give it a tendency upward before any smoke is produced.

1939. A chimney so incorrigible as to require the constant admission of fresh air, should have a pipe introduced, one of whose apertures is under the grate, and the other in the open air. Or openings may be made for ventilation near the top of the apartment.

1940. To prevent unpleasant odor in Clothes laid up for a time, place recently-made charcoal between the folds of the garments. Even when the odor has taken place, the charcoal will absorb it.

1941. To Purify Stagnant Water.--One part of chalk and two of alum will speedily purify stagnant water, and four parts of animal carbon and one of alum are sufficient to purify a thousand parts of muddy river water.

1942. To Prevent the Smoking of a Lamp.--Soak the wick in strong vinegar, and well dry it before you use it.

1943. To Clean Cane Chairs.--Sponge them, until soaked, with soap and hot water.

1944. Clean White Vails.--Put the vail in a solution of white soap, and let it simmer a quarter of an hour; squeeze it in some warm water and soap till quite clean. Rinse it from soap, and then in clean cold water, in which is a drop of liquid blue; then pour boiling water on a teaspoonful of starch, run the vail through this, and clear it well by clapping it. Afterward pin it out, keeping the edges straight and even.

1945. Restoring Color to Silk.--When the color has been taken from silk by acids, it may be restored by applying to the spot a little hartshorne, or sal-volatile.

1946. Clean White Ostrich Feathers.--Four ounces of white soap, cut small, dissolved in four pints of water, rather hot, in a large basin; make the solution into a lather, by beating it with birch-rods, or wires.

1947. Introduce the feathers, and rub well with the hands for five or six minutes. After this soaping, wash in clean water, as hot as the hand can bear. Shake until dry.

1948. Cure for a Burn.--Wheat flour and cold water mixed to the consistency of soft paste, is an almost instantaneous cure for a burn, whether large or small. Renew before the first gets so dry as to stick.

1949. Slippery Elm bark powdered makes an excellent healing poultice for burns, sores, &c., boiled with milk and about one-third bread.

1950. Cod-Liver Oil.--This is a nauseating medicine, but the following receipt is said to remedy the bad taste.

1951. To a pint of cod-liver oil add an ounce of fine salt; shake them well together, till they amalgamate.

1952. To Dress Squirrel and other Skins.--Take a handful of common salt, and half the quantity of alum; boil it in half a gallon of water till dissolved. When cold, the skins may be put in to steep, and allowed to remain for a fortnight, occasionally turning them; they may then be taken out, stretched on a board (skin side outward) till dry; they will then be found perfectly soft and pliable.

1953. Another Method.--Stretch the fresh skin on a board, and dress it with water in which salt and alum have been dissolved--applying the solution with a brush. This does not injure the glossiness of the fur, which is apt to be affected when the skin is immersed.

1954. To Clean Furs.--Strip the fur articles of their stuffing and binding, and lay them as much as possible in a flat position.

1955. They must then be subjected to a very brisk brushing, with a stiff clothes-brush; after this, any moth-eaten parts must be cut out, and be neatly replaced by new bits of fur to match.

1956. Sable, Chinchilla, Squirrel, Fitch, &c., should be treated as follows: Warm a quantity of new bran in a pan, taking care that it does not burn, to prevent which it must be actively stirred.

1957. When well warmed, rub it thoroughly into the fur with the hand. Repeat this two or three times; then shake the fur, and give it another sharp brushing until free from dust.

1958. White Furs, Ermine, &c., may be cleaned as follows: Lay the fur on the table, and rub it well with bran made moist with warm water; rub until quite dry, and afterward with dry bran. The wet bran should be put on with flannel, and the dry with a piece of book-muslin.

1959. The Light Furs, in addition to the above, should be well rubbed with magnesia, or a piece of book-muslin, after the bran process.

1960. Stretching Furs.--Furs are usually much improved by stretching, which may be managed as follows: To a pint of soft water add three ounces of salt, dissolve; with this solution sponge the inside of the skin (taking care not to wet the fur), until it becomes thoroughly saturated; then lay it carefully on a board with the fur side downward, in its natural disposition; then stretch, as much as it will bear, to the required shape, and fasten with small tacks. The drying may be quickened by placing the skin a little distance from the fire or stove.

1961. To Preserve Furs from Moths.--Warm water, one pint; corrosive sublimate, twelve grains. If washed with this, and afterward dried, furs are safe from moth. Care should be taken to label the liquid "poison."

1962. To Keep away Flies.--No fly will enter a room in which a wreath of walnut leaves has been hung up. The experiment is worth trying.

1963. Washing.--The most important department of domestic economy naturally includes the washhouse, into which philosophy has found its way for the application of many useful principles, and much useful practice. (See p. 262.)

1964. To Clean Morocco Shoes.--Dissolve gum arabic in water, and mix with it a little white sugar. If it is to be kept any time, put in a little spirits of wine. Brush the shoes with it.

1965. Cheap Door-Mats.--Cut old broadcloth or any woolen articles into long strips from one to two inches broad. Braid three of these together, and sew the braid round in gradually increasing circles till large enough.

WISE ECONOMY.

1966. If you have a strip of land, do not throw away soap-suds. Both ashes and soap-suds are good manure for bushes and young plants.

1967. Woolen Clothes should be washed in very hot suds, and not rinsed. Lukewarm water shrinks them.

1968. Do not let coffee and tea stand in tin.

1969. Scald your wooden-ware often, and keep your tin-ware dry.

1970. Preserve the backs of old letters to write upon.

1971. If you have children who are learning to write, buy coarse white paper by the quantity, and keep it locked up, ready to be made into writing-books. It does not cost half so much as it does to buy them at the stationer's.

1972. See that nothing is thrown away which might have served to nourish your own family or a poorer one.

1973. As far as possible, have bits of bread eaten up before they become hard; spread those that are not eaten, and let them dry, to be pounded for puddings, or soaked for brewis.

1974. Brewis is made of crusts and dry pieces of bread, soaked a good while in hot milk, mashed up, and eaten with salt.

1975. Above all, do not let crusts accumulate in such quantities that they cannot be used. With proper care, there is no need of losing a particle of bread.

1976. All the mending in the house should be done once a week, if possible.

1977. Never put out sewing. If it be not possible to do it in your own family, hire some one into the house, and work with them.

1978. Do not let knives be dropped into hot dish-water. It is a good plan to have a large tin pot to wash them in, just high enough to wash the blades without wetting the handles.

1979. It is better to accomplish perfectly a very small amount of work, than to half do ten times as much.

1980. Charcoal Powder will be found a very good thing to give knives a first-rate polish.

1981. A Bonnet and trimmings may be worn a much longer time, if the dust be brushed well off after walking.

1982. Much knowledge may be obtained by the good housewife observing how things are managed in well-regulated families.

1983. Apples intended for dumplings should not have the core taken out of them, as the pips impart a delicious flavor to the dumpling.

1984. A Rice Pudding is most excellent without either eggs or sugar, if baked gently; it keeps better without eggs.

1985. "Wilful waste makes woful want." Do not cook a fresh joint whilst any of the last remains uneaten--hash it up, and with gravy and a little management eke out another day's dinner.

1986. A warming-pan full of coals, or a shovel of coals, held over varnished furniture, will take out white spots. Care should be taken not to hold the coals near enough to scorch; and the place should be rubbed with a flannel while warm.

1987. Sal-volatile or hartshorne will restore colors taken out by acid. It may be dropped upon any garment without doing harm.

1988. New Iron should be very gradually heated at first. After it has become inured to the heat, it is not so likely to crack.

1989. The shanks of mutton make a good stock for nearly any kind of gravy--and they are very cheap--a dozen may be had for a penny, enough to make a quart of delicious soup.

1990. Thick curtains, closely drawn around the bed, are very injurious, because they not only confine the effluvia thrown off from our bodies whilst in bed, but interrupt the current of pure air.

1991. Regularity in the payment of accounts is essential to housekeeping. All tradesmen's bills should be paid weekly, for then any errors can be detected whilst the transactions are fresh in the memory.

1992. Linen Rags should be carefully saved, for they are extremely useful in sickness. If they have become dirty and worn by cleaning silver, &c., wash them and scrape them into lint.

1993. If you are troubled to get soft water for washing, fill a tub or barrel half full of wood ashes, and fill it up with water, so that you may have ley whenever you may want it. A gallon of strong ley put into a great kettle of hard water, will make it as soft as rain water.

1994. "Morning's Milk," says an eminent German philosopher, "commonly yields some hundredths more cream than the evening's at the same temperature. That milked at noon furnishes the least; it would therefore be of advantage, in making butter and cheese, to employ the morning's milk, and to keep the evening's for domestic use."

1995. Scouring Drops for Removing Grease.--There are several preparations of this name; one of the best is made as follows: Camphene, or spirits of turpentine, three ounces; essence of lemon, one ounce; mix.

1996. Sweeping Carpets.--Persons who are accustomed to use tea-leaves for sweeping their carpets, and find that they leave stains, will do well to employ fresh cut grass instead. It is better than tea-leaves for preventing dust, and gives the carpets a very bright, fresh look.

1997. Economy of Fuel.--There is no part of domestic economy which everybody professes to understand better than the management of a fire, and yet there is no branch in the household arrangements where there is a greater proportional and unnecessary waste, than arises from ignorance and mismanagement in this article.

1998. It is an old adage that we must stir no man's fire until we have known him seven years; but we might find it equally prudent if we were careful as to the stirring of our own.

1999. Anybody, indeed, can take up a poker and toss the coals about; but that is not stirring a fire!

2000. If the consumer, instead of ordering a large supply of coal at once, will at first content himself with a sample, he may, with very little trouble, ascertain who will deal fairly with him; and, if he wisely pays ready money, he will be independent of his coal merchant; a situation which few families, even in genteel life, can boast of.

2001. Indeed, we cannot too often repeat the truth, that to deal for ready money only, in all the departments of domestic arrangement, is the truest economy.

2002. Ready money will always command the best and cheapest of every article of consumption, if expended with judgment; and the dealer, who intends to act fairly, will always prefer it.

2003. Trust not him who seems more anxious to give credit than to receive cash.

2004. The former hopes to secure custom by having a hold upon you in his books; and continues always to make up for his advance, either by an advance price, or an inferior article; whilst the latter knows that your custom can only be secured by fair dealing.

2005. There is, likewise, another consideration, as far as economy is concerned, which is, not only to buy with ready money, but to buy at proper seasons; for there is with every article a cheap season and a dear one.

2006. The master of a family who fills his coal cellar in the middle of the summer, rather than the beginning of the winter, will save one-fourth which it would otherwise cost him; and will be enabled to see December's snows falling without feeling his enjoyment of his fireside lessened by the consideration that the cheerful blaze is supplied at twice the rate that it need have done, if he had exercised more foresight.

2007. We must now call to the recollection of our readers that chimneys often smoke, and that coal is often wasted by throwing too much fuel at once upon a fire.

2008. To prove this observation, it is only necessary to remove the superfluous coal from the top of the grate, when the smoking instantly ceases.

2009. As to the waste, that evidently proceeds from the frequent, intemperate and injudicious use of the poker, which not only throws a great portion of the small coals among the cinders, but often extinguishes the fire it was intended to foster.

2010. Economy in Carpets.--In buying a carpet, as in every thing else, those of the best quality are cheapest in the end. As it is extremely desirable that they should look as clean as possible, avoid buying carpet that has any white in it. Even a very small portion of white interspersed through the pattern will in a short time give a dirty appearance to the whole; and certainly no carpet can be worse for use than one with a white ground.

2011. A carpet in which all the colors are light, never has a clean, bright effect, from the want of dark tints to contrast and set off the light ones.

2012. For a similar reason, carpets whose colors are all of what artists call middle tint (neither dark nor light), cannot fail to look dull and dingy, even when quite new.

2013. The caprices of fashion at times bring these ill-colored carpets into vogue; but in apartments where elegance is desirable, they always have a bad effect.

2014. For a carpet to be really beautiful and in good taste, there should be, as in a picture, a judicious disposal of light and shadow, with a gradation of very bright and of very dark tints; some almost white, and others almost or quite black.

2015. Red Carpets.--The most truly chaste, rich and elegant carpets, are those where the pattern is formed by one color only, but arranged in every variety of shade. For instance, we have seen a Brussels carpet entirely red; the pattern formed by shades or tints, varying from the deepest crimson (almost a black), to the palest pink (almost a white).

2016. Green Carpets.--Also one of green only, shaded from the darkest bottle-green, in some parts of the figure, to the lightest pea-green in others.

2017. Brown Carpets.--Another, in which there was no color but brown, in all its various gradation, some of the shades being nearly black, others of a light buff. All these carpets had much the look of rich cut velvet.

2018. The Curtains, Sofas, &c., of course, were of corresponding colors, and the effect of the whole was noble and elegant.

2019. Carpets of many gaudy colors are much less in demand than formerly. Two colors only, with the dark and light shade of each, will make a very handsome carpet.

2020. A very light blue ground, with the figure of shaded crimson or purple, looks extremely well; so does a salmon-color or buff ground, with a deep green figure; or a light yellow ground, with a shaded blue figure.

2021. Rugs.--If you cannot obtain a hearth-rug that exactly corresponds with the carpet, get one entirely different; for a decided contrast looks better than a bad match.

2022. We have seen very handsome hearth-rugs with a rich, black, velvet-looking ground, and the figure of shaded blue, or of various tints of yellow and orange.

2023. A carpet decidedly light-colored throughout, has a good effect on the floor, or continues long to look clean.

THINGS TO KNOW.

2024. Why do candles and lamps "spirt," when rain is at hand?

2025. Because the air is filled with vapor, and the humidity penetrates the wick, where (being formed into steam) it expands suddenly, and produces a little explosion.

2026. Why does a drop of water sometimes roll along a piece of hot iron without leaving the least trace?

2027. Because (when the iron is very hot indeed) the bottom of the drop is turned into vapor, which buoys the drop up, without allowing it to touch the iron.

2028. Why does a laundress put a little saliva on a flat-iron, to know if it be hot enough?

2029. Because, when the saliva sticks to the box, and is evaporated, she knows it is not sufficiently hot: but when it runs along the iron, it is.

2030. Why is the flat-iron hotter, if the saliva runs along it, than if it adheres till it is evaporated?

2031. Because, when the saliva runs along the iron, the heat is sufficient to convert the bottom of the drop into vapor; but if the saliva will not roll, the iron is not sufficiently hot to convert the bottom of the drop into vapor.

2032. Why do wet feet or clothes give us "cold"?

2033. Because the evaporation absorbs the heat so abundantly from the surface of our body, that its temperature is lowered below its natural standard; in consequence of which health is injured. [This also explains why it is dangerous to sleep in a damp bed.]

2034. Why is the health injured when the temperature of the body is reduced below its natural standard?

2035. Because the balance of the circulation is destroyed, blood is driven away from the external surface by the chill, and thrown upon the internal organs, which are oppressed by this increased load of blood.

2036. Why do not sailors get cold, who are frequently wet all day with sea-water?

2037. Because the salt of the sea retards evaporation; and (as the heat of their bodies is drawn off gradually) the sensation of cold is prevented. Also, the salt of the sea acts as a stimulant, and keeps the blood circulating in the skin.

2038. What is the cause of snow?

2039. When the air is nearly saturated with vapor, and condensed by a current of air below freezing-point, some of the vapor is condensed, and frozen into snow. A few years ago, some fishermen (who wintered at Nova Zembla), after they had been shut up in a hut for several days, opened the window; and the cold external air rushing in, instantly condensed the air of the hut, and its vapor fell on the floor in a shower of snow.

2040. What is the cause of sleet?

2041. When flakes of snow (in their descent) pass through a bed of air above freezing point, they partially melt, and fall to the earth as half-melted snow.

2042. What is hail?

2043. Rain which has passed in its descent through some cold bed of air, and has been frozen into drops of ice.

2044. What is rain?

2045. The vapor of the clouds or air condensed, and precipitated to the earth.

2046. Why are rain-drops sometimes much larger than at other times?

2047. When the rain-cloud is floating near the earth, the drops are larger, because such a cloud is much more dense than one more elevated. The size of the rain-drop is also increased according to the rapidity with which the vapors are condensed.

2048. Why does the Bible say that God "giveth snow like wool"?

2049. Because snow (being a very bad conductor of heat) protects vegetables and seeds from the frost and cold.

2050. How does the non-conducting power of snow protect vegetables from the frost and cold?

2051. It prevents the heat of the earth from being drawn off by the cold air which rests upon it.

2052. Why are woolens and furs used for clothing in cold weather?

2053. Because they are very bad conductors of heat, and therefore prevent the warmth of the body from being drawn off by the cold air.

2054. Do not woolens and furs actually impart heat to the body?

2055. No; they merely prevent the heat of the body from escaping.

2056. Where would the heat escape to, if the body were not wrapped in wool or fur?

2057. The heat of the body would fly off into the air: for the cold air, coming in contact with our body, would gradually draw away its heat, till it was as cold as the air itself.

2058. What then is the principal use of clothing in winter time?

2059. To prevent the animal heat from escaping too freely; and to protect the body from the external air (or wind), which would carry away its heat too rapidly.

2060. Why are March winds dry?

2061. Because they generally blow from the east or north-east, and therefore sweep over the continent of America.

2062. What is the use of March winds?

2063. They dry the soil (which is saturated by the floods of February), break up the heavy clods, and fit the land for the seeds which are committed to it.

2064. Why is it said that "March comes in like a lion?"

2065. Because it comes in with blustering east winds, so essential to dry the soil, which would otherwise rot the seed committed to it.

2066. Why does "March go out like a lamb?"

2067. Because the water, evaporated by the high winds, falls again in showers to fertilize the earth, and breaks the violence of the winds.

2068. Why is it said that "March flowers make no summer bowers?"

2069. Because, if the spring be very mild, vegetation gets too forward, and is pinched by the nightly frosts, so as to produce neither fruits nor flowers.

2070. Why is it said that "April showers bring May flowers?"

2071. Because April showers supply the principal nourishment on which the seeds depend for their development.

2072. Why does a polished metal teapot make better tea than a black earthen one?

2073. As polished metal is a very bad radiator of heat, it keeps the water hot much longer; and the hotter the water is, the better it draws the tea.

2074. Why will not a dull black teapot make good tea?

2075. Because the heat of the water flies off so quickly, through the dull black surface of the teapot, that the water is very rapidly cooled, and cannot "draw" the tea.

2076. Do not pensioners, and aged cottagers, generally prefer the black earthen teapot to the bright metal one?

2077. Yes, because they set it on the hob to "draw;" in which case, the little black teapot will make the best tea.

2078. Why will a black teapot make a better tea than a bright metal one, if it is set on the hob to draw?

2079. Because the black teapot will absorb heat plentifully from the fire, and keep the water hot; whereas a bright metal teapot (set upon the hob) would throw off the heat by reflection.

2080. Then sometimes a black earthen teapot is the best, and sometimes a bright metal one?

2081. Yes; when the teapot is set on the hob to "draw," the black earth is the best, because it absorbs heat; but when the teapot is not set on the hob the bright metal is the best, because it radiates heat very slowly, and therefore keeps the water hot.

2082. Why does a saucepan which has been used boil in a shorter time than a new one?

2083. Because the bottom and back are covered with soot, and the black soot rapidly absorbs the heat of the glowing coals.

2084. Why should the front and lid of a saucepan be clean and bright?

2085. As they do not come in contact with the fire, they cannot absorb heat, and (being bright) they will not suffer the heat to escape by radiation.

2086. Why should not the bottom and back of a kettle be cleaned and polished?

2087. Because they come in contact with the fire, and (while they are covered with black soot) absorb heat freely from the burning coals.

2088. Why are dinner-covers made of bright tin or silver?

2089. Because light-colored and highly-polished metal is a very bad radiator of heat; and, therefore, bright tin or silver will not allow the heat of the cooked food to escape through the cover by radiation.

2090. Why should a meat-cover be very brightly polished?

2091. If the cover be dull or scratched, it will absorb heat from the food; and instead of keeping it hot, it will make it cold.

2092. Why should a silver meat-cover be plain, and not chased?

2093. Because, if the cover be chased, it will absorb heat from the food; and instead of making it hot, will make it cold.

2094. What is the smoke of a candle?

2095. Solid particles of carbon, separated from the wick and tallow, but not consumed.

2096. Why are some particles consumed and not others?

2097. The combustion of the carbon depends upon its combining with the oxygen of the air. Now, as the outer surface of the flame prevents the access of air to the interior parts, much of the carbon of those parts passes off in smoke.

2098. Why do lamps smoke?

2099. Either because the wick is cut unevenly, or else because it is turned up too high.

2100. Why does a lamp smoke, when the wick is cut unevenly?

2101. Because the points of the jagged edge (being very easily separated from the wick) load the flame with more carbon than it can consume; and as the heat of the flame is greatly diminished by these little bits of wicks, it is unable to consume even the usual quantity of smoke. The same applies when the wick is turned up too high.

2102. Why does a lamp-glass diminish the smoke of a wick?

2103. Because it increases the supply of oxygen to the flame, by producing a draught; and it concentrates and reflects the heat of the flame; in consequence of which the combustion of the carbon is more perfect, and very little escapes unconsumed.

2104. Hints about Making Butter (See page 287).--Milk should never be set for butter in a dark, damp cellar--as in the case with butter-makers in this section--as the cream is thereby moulded before it has had time to rise, which gives the butter a mouldy taste.

2105. The milk is allowed to stand too long before being skimmed, which gives it a cheesy taste.

2106. The cream is kept too long before it is churned, after it is skimmed, which gives it the taste of the other two; and also a sour taste.

2107. The butter should never be washed in water, because it takes away that beautiful aroma so essential in good butter.

2108. It should never be taken in a person's warm hands, as the heat melts a certain portion of the globules, which gives it an oily taste, and makes it become rancid very soon.

2109. The milk should be set in good clean tin or earthen pans, in a dry, open, airy and shady place, above ground, if possible, although a cellar may be so built, and ventilated, as to answer the purpose.

2110. It should never be set over twenty-four hours in warm weather; and for a dairy of three cows or over, the cream should be churned every morning, and never be kept over forty-eight hours, in warm weather; in cold weather it may be kept longer.

CLEANLINESS.

2111. The want of cleanliness is a fault which admits of no excuse. Where water can be had for nothing, it is surely in the power of every person to be clean.

2112. The discharge from our bodies, by perspiration, renders frequent changes of apparel necessary.

2113. Change of apparel greatly promotes the secretion from the skin, so necessary to health.

2114. When that matter which ought to be carried off by perspiration is either retained in the body, or reabsorbed by dirty clothes, it is apt to occasion fevers and other diseases.

2115. Most diseases of the skin proceed from want of cleanliness. These indeed may be caught by infection, but they will seldom continue long where cleanliness prevails.

2116. To the same cause must we impute the various kinds of vermin that infest the human body, houses, &c. These may generally be banished by cleanliness alone.

2117. Perhaps the intention of Nature, in permitting such vermin to annoy mankind, is to induce them to the practice of this virtue.

2118. One common cause of putrid and malignant fevers is the want of cleanliness.

2119. These fevers commonly begin among the inhabitants of close, dirty houses, who breathe bad air, take little exercise, use unwholesome food, and wear dirty clothes. There the infection is generally hatched, which spreads far and wide to the destruction of many. Hence cleanliness may be considered as an object of the public attention.

2120. It is not sufficient that I be clean myself, while the want of it in my neighbor affects my health as well as his own.

2121. If dirty people cannot be removed as a common nuisance, they ought at least to be avoided as infectious. All who regard their health, should keep at a distance, even from their habitations.

2122. In places where great numbers of people are collected, cleanliness becomes of the utmost importance.

2123. It is well known, that infectious diseases are caused by tainted air. Every thing, therefore, which tends to pollute the air, or spread the infection, ought with the utmost care to be avoided.

2124. For this reason, in great towns, no filth of any kind should be permitted to lie upon the streets. We are sorry to say, that the importance of general cleanliness does by no means seem to be sufficiently understood.

2125. It were well if the lower classes of the inhabitants of the United States would imitate the Dutch, in the cleanliness of their streets, houses, &c.

2126. Water, indeed, is easily obtained in Holland; but the situation of most towns in the United States is more favorable to cleanliness.

2127. Nothing can be more agreeable to the senses, more to the honor of the inhabitants, or conducive to their health, than a clean town; nor does any thing impress a stranger sooner with a disrespectful idea of any people than its opposite.

2128. It is remarkable, that, in most eastern countries, cleanliness makes a great part of their religion. The Mahometan, as well as the Jewish religion, enjoins various bathings, washings, and purifications.

2129. No doubt these were designed to represent inward purity; but they are at the same time calculated for the preservation of health.

2130. However whimsical these washings may appear to some, few things would appear more to prevent diseases than a proper attention to many of them.

2131. Were every person, for example, after handling a dead body, visiting the sick, &c., to wash and to change his clothes before he went into company, or sat down to meat, he would run less hazard either of catching the infection himself, or communicating it to others.

2132. Frequent washing not only removes the filth which adheres to the skin, but likewise promotes the perspiration, braces the body, and enlivens the spirits.

2133. Even washing the feet tends greatly to preserve health. The sweat and dirt with which these parts are frequently covered, cannot fail to obstruct their perspiration. This piece of cleanliness would often prevent colds and fevers.

2134. Were people to bathe their feet and hands in warm water at night, after being exposed to cold or wet through the day, they would seldom experience any of the fatal effects which often proceed from these causes.

2135. In places where great numbers of sick people are kept, cleanliness ought most religiously to be observed. The very smell in such places is often sufficient to make one sick. It is easy to imagine what effect that is likely to have upon the disease.

2136. A person in health has a greater chance to become sick, than a sick person has to get well, in an hospital or infirmary where cleanliness is neglected.

2137. The brutes themselves set us an example of cleanliness. Most of them seem uneasy, and thrive ill, if they be not kept clean.

2138. A horse that is kept thoroughly clean, will thrive better on a smaller quantity of food, than with a greater, where cleanliness is neglected.

2139. Even our own feelings are sufficient proof of the necessity of cleanliness. How refreshed, how cheerful and agreeable does one feel on being shaved, washed and dressed; especially when these have been long neglected.

2140. Most people esteem cleanliness; and even those who do not practice it themselves, often admire it in others.

2141. Superior cleanliness sooner attracts our regard than even finery itself, and often gains esteem where the other fails.

2142. A clean, fresh, and well-ordered house exercises over its inmates a moral no less than a physical influence, and has a direct tendency to make the members of a family sober, peaceable, and considerate of the feelings and happiness of each other; nor is it difficult to trace a connection between habitual feeling of this sort and the formation of habits of respect for property, for the laws in general, and even for those higher duties and obligations the observance of which no laws can enforce.

PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS.

2143. The following regulations should be engraved on the memories of all:--

2144. As most sudden deaths come by water, particular caution is therefore necessary in its vicinity.

2145. Stand not near a tree, or any leaden spout, iron gate, or palisade, in time of lightning.

2146. Lay loaded guns in safe places, and never imitate firing a gun in jest.

2147. Never sleep near charcoal; if drowsy at any work where charcoal fires are used, take the fresh air.

2148. Carefully rope trees before they are cut down, that when they fall they may do no injury.

2149. When benumbed with cold, beware of sleeping out of doors; rub yourself, if you have it in your power, with snow, and do not hastily approach the fire.

2150. Beware of damps.

2151. Air vaults, by letting them remain open some time before you enter, or scattering powdered lime in them.

2152. Where a lighted candle will not burn, animal life can not exist; it will be an excellent caution, therefore, before entering damp and confined places, to try this simple experiment.

2153. Never leave saddle or draught horses, while in use, by themselves, nor go immediately behind a led horse as he is apt to kick.

2154. Ride not on foot-ways.

2155. Be wary of children, whether they are up or in bed; and particularly when they are near the fire, an element with which they are very apt to amuse themselves.

2156. Leave nothing poisonous open or accessible; and never omit to write the word "Poison" in large letters upon it, wherever it may be placed.

2157. In walking the streets, keep out of the line of the cellars; and never look one way and walk another.

2158. Never throw pieces of orange-peel, or broken glass bottles, into the streets.

2159. Never meddle with gunpowder by candle-light.

2160. In trimming a lamp with naphtha, never fill it. Leave space for the spirit to expand with warmth.

2161. Never quit a room, leaving the poker in the fire.

2162. When the brass rod of the stair-carpet becomes loose, fasten it immediately.

2163. In opening effervescing drinks, such as soda-water, hold the cork in your hand.

2164. Quit your house with care on a frosty morning.

2165. Have your horses' shoes roughed directly there are indications of frost.

2166. Keep lucifer matches in their cases, and never let them be strewed about.

ADDITIONAL DOMESTIC HINTS.

2167. Easy method of Breaking Glass to any required Figure.--Make a small notch by means of a file on the edge of a piece of glass, then make the end of a tobacco-pipe, or of a rod of iron of the same size, red hot in the fire, apply the hot iron to the notch, and draw it slowly along the surface of the glass in any direction you please: a crack will follow the direction of the iron.

2168. Cleansing of Furniture.--The cleaning of furniture forms an important part of domestic economy, not only in regard to neatness, but also in point of expense.

2169. The readiest mode indeed consists in good manual rubbing, or the "essence of elbows," as it is whimsically termed; but our finest cabinet-work requires something more, where brilliancy of polish is of importance.

2170. China and Glass Ware.--For the best way of cleaning, see page 31.

2171. Much of the red now used in China is actually produced by the anotto extracted from the cuttings of scarlet cloth, which have long formed an article of exportation to Canton.

2172. It ought to be taken for granted that all china or glassware is well tempered; yet a little careful attention may not be misplaced, even on that point.

2173. Ornamental china or glassware are not exposed to the action of hot water in common domestic use.

2174. It will be proper never to apply water to them beyond a tepid temperature.

2175. An ingenious and simple mode of annealing glass has been some time in use by chemists. It consists in immersing the vessel in cold water, gradually heated to the boiling point, and suffered to remain till cold, when it will be fit for use.

2176. Soap and labor may be saved by dissolving alum and chalk in bran-water, in which the linen ought to be boiled, then well rinsed out, and exposed to the usual process of bleaching.

2177. Soap may be disused, or nearly so, in the getting up of muslins and chintzes, which should always be treated agreeably to the oriental manner; that is to wash them in plain water, and then boil them in congee or rice-water: after which they ought not to be submitted to the operation of the smoothing iron, but rubbed smooth with a polished stone.

2178. The economy which must result from these processes renders their consideration important to every private family, in addition to which we must state that the improvements in philosophy extend to the laundry as well as to the wash-house.

AGRICULTURE--MORE HINTS.

(SEE PAGES 198 AND 264.)

2179. Small Farms.--Never have more land in culture than can be well cultivated.

2180. Be a Farmer, not a mere earth-scraper, lazily scratching up sufficient earth to destroy the face of the soil, and throw seed away, or you will always have to scratch hard for a living. But make your farm a source of pride, and it will surely become a source of profit. Make the object to be not to have many, but rich acres.

2181. Turnip Fly may be expelled by the use of fish-oil, one or two gallons to the acre.

2182. Bone Dust.--An English proverb says, "One ton of bone-dust saves the importation of ten tons of grain."

2183. Corn.--Sprinkling with salt and water will check the weevil. Of all the grains, corn is the most valuable, taking into view quantity and price. Soaking the seed in a solution of saltpetre keeps off the worm, and largely increases the crop.

2184. Rye is more thrifty on soil of a dry, sandy, or gravely texture, if well manured, and winters best when sown early.

2185. Lime, as manure for wheat, is of great importance Use about three bushels to the acre.

2186. Fields.--As a general rule, with but few exceptions, square large fields are more advantageous than small irregular ones, requiring less fence, and being more easily watered, manured, plowed, and harvested.

2187. Musty Grain is made sweet by putting it in boiling water, (double the quantity of grain), letting it cool in the water, and then drying it well. Skim the water.

2188. A Single Weed may draw out the nourishment that would have given fullness to half-a-dozen ears. To be free from taxes is far less important than to be free from weeds.

2189. Fences.--Around each post hill the earth, to carry off the water, and char the end a few inches above the surface. Cedar fences last about 15 years, which should lead owners to inquire where the fences are to come from hereafter.

2190. Manure.--Every farmer can double the quantity of his domestic or yard manure, with scarcely any additional expense. At least fifty per cent. of the nutritive properties of yard manure are lost by drenching of rains, excessive fermentation, and injurious application to soil.

2191. Plow deep.--Let a farmer examine the extent and depth to which the roots of grain, in a loose and favorable soil, will spread, and he will cease to wonder at the failure of a crop where the subsoil has never been stirred by the plow.

2192. Green vegetables, when put under the soil and submitted to the process of decomposition, are efficacious in restoring exhausted soils.

2193. Fertilizing.--Buckwheat and clover are striking instances of this power in green crops to fertilize soils, and both have been extensively used for this purpose.

2194. Agriculture is worthy the most liberal patronage of our governments, state and national; it ought to be enlightened by a better (and thorough) education of the agricultural class.

2195. Three Pillars of the State.--Agriculture, manufactures, commerce, stand together; but they stand together like pillars in a cluster, the largest in the centre, and that largest is agriculture.

2196. The Civilizer.--Let us never forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. Man, without the cultivation of the earth, is in all countries a savage. When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.

2197. Independence of Farmers.--We live in a country of small farms; a country, in which men cultivate with their own hands, their own fee-simple acres; drawing not only their subsistence, but also their spirit of independence, and manly freedom from the ground they plow.

2198. The Glory of Agriculture.--"The task of working improvements on the earth is much more delightful than all the vain glory which can be acquired by ravaging it with the most uninterrupted career of conquests."--Washington.

CATTLE.

(SEE PAGE 289.)

2199.--Treat Domestic Animals kindly and tenderly.--Domestic animals of all kinds from a horse down to a chicken, should be treated with gentleness and mildness; men or boys who are rash and bad-tempered, ought not to be permitted to have charge of them or to interfere with their management. Animals that are kept in constant fear of suffering never thrive well, and they often become vicious and intractable by unkind and cruel treatment.

2200. Keep Stock in good condition.--An animal may be kept short of food in the latter part of the fall or first of winter, at a small saving of food but at a loss in the condition of the animal.

2201. Stables and Food.--Provide comfortable sheds and stables. Remember that a want of comfort is always a waste of flesh. Give a sufficiency of food and drink, with great regularity. A meal ten minutes later than the usual time, causes the animal to fret, and fretting lessens flesh.

2202. Drink and Litter.--Most animals will drink several times a day, and should therefore have it as often as they want it. They should have plenty of clean litter as often as needed. With such management, there will be an almost incredible saving of food.

Tight Stables should always be ventilated. The breath and manure from animals always causes impure air.

2203. Oxen.--Being well-mated, oxen are more easily trained; and the more easily to effect this, much self-denial on the part of the driver, much coolness of temper, more training by motion and less by voice, may be highly advantageous to man and beast.

2204. To Select.--Adopt the practice of selecting best lambs every year, for stock. In a few years you have first-rate sheep. The same course will produce the same effects in every kind of animal.

2205. Hogs.--Food.--If pumpkins, roots, apples, or any of them be fed to fattening hogs with corn, the advantage will be salutary. Most of the food for swine should be cooked. Swine fatten much faster on fermented, than on unfermented food. Salt, charcoal, and once in a while sulphur, are excellent for hogs under all circumstances.

Good Medicine.--When your hogs get sick, you know not of what, give them ears of corn, first dipped in tar, and then rolled in sulphur.

2206. Bees.--(See p. 176).--Every farmer should keep bees; a few swarms to furnish honey for his own use, if no more. They toil with unremitting industry, asking but a full sweep of the wing, and no monopoly. Every man, in either town or country, can keep bees to advantage.

2207. Care of Bees in Winter.--A cold, dry, dark room, is the best winter-quarters for bees. They will consume less honey than if left on their summer stands, and will not be weakened by the loss of thousands, which, tempted out by the premature warmth, are caught by the cold winds, fall to the ground, and never rise again.

2208. "Never kill a bee."--The smoke of the fungus maximus, or common puff ball, when dried so as to hold fire, has a stupefying effect on the bees, and renders them as harmless as brimstone does, without any of its deadly effects.

2209. Mignonette, Sweet.--Is especially mentioned as easily cultivated by drills in a garden, and is one of the finest and richest flowers in the world from which the honey-bee can extract its food.

2210. Horses.--See page 199.

2211. To cure Scratches on a Horse.--Wash the legs with warm strong soap-suds, and then with beef brine. Two applications will cure the worst case.

2212. Bite of a Spider.--Catnip bruised and applied to the wound, is said to be a cure for the bite of a spider.

2213. To preserve a Granary from Insects and Weasels.--Make the floor of Lombardy poplars.

2214. To prevent the Creaking of a Door.--Rub a bit of soap on the hinges.

2215. Sulphur is valuable in preserving grapes, plants, &c., from insects.

2216. Salt is really necessary to horses, cattle, and sheep, and they should be supplied with it at regular stated intervals throughout all seasons of the year.

2217. Manure, on a wet soil, produces but half its effect; and gypsum, that grand stimulant of dry soils, on a wet one is useless.

2218. Hen-House should be warm in winter, well-ventilated, white-washed, and kept clean. For the floor, use slaked lime, fine gravel or ashes, or burnt oyster shells. (See page 200.)

2219. A single dozen fowls, properly attended, will furnish a family with more than 2,000 eggs in a year, and 100 full-grown chickens for fall and winter stores.

2220. Expense.--The expense of feeding the dozen fowls will not amount to 18 bushels of Indian corn. They may be kept in cities as well as in the country, and will do as well shut up the year round as to run at large, with proper care.

2221. A Fact.--Eggs the nearest to roundness produce females, and those pointed at one end always produce males.

2222. For Fattening.--Boiled Indian, wheat and barley, is better than oats, rye, or buckwheat. One-third is gained by boiling.

2223. Eggs, little boiled or poached, in small quantity, convey much nourishment; the yolk only should be eaten by invalids.

2224. Salt for Poultry.--Salt is good for water-fowls, but death to land fowls and birds.

2225. Salt for Pigeons.--Pigeons are fond of salt, and it keeps them in health. Lay a large heap of clay near the house, and let the salt-brine that may be done with in the family be poured upon it.

2226. To Fatten Fowls in a short time.--Mix together ground rice well scalded with milk, and add some coarse sugar. Feed them with this in the day-time, but not too much at once; let it be pretty thick.

2227. Pork cured.--Soon as cool enough to cut, and before it freezes, pack a clean cask full, with plenty of salt on all sides of each piece. Fill up with water, taking care, by means of a large stone, to keep the pork under the pickle, and covered from flies, in a cellar. Never boil pickle.

2228. Pork Feeding.--It is a well-ascertained fact, that more meat will be made on half the weight of corn, if ground and made into mush instead of being fed whole.

2229. In Smoking Hams, &c., be careful not to have the fire too high, or the smoke-house top tight. It is best done in an upper story, to which the smoke is conveyed in tubes, from oak or maple chips in the cellar. (See p. 324.)

2230. Hollow Horn.--Where supposed to exist, feed half-peck potatoes twice a week, and treat your cattle kindly in food and shelter.

2231. Sheep must be fed well, kept dry, have salt often, and pure air, and be grazed in hilly stony pastures.

2232. Cows.--Those who wish their cows to give large messes of milk in the winter season, should give them warm drink. The extra trouble will be more than repaid in the increased quantity of milk. (See pp. 285-6.)

2233. Wild Onion may be destroyed by cultivating corn, plowing and leaving the field in its plowed state all winter.

2234. Remember.--The great rule in relation to animals holds perfect in its application to vegetables; breed only from the best animals; defects and imperfections have always a tendency to propagate themselves, and are always, in a greater or less degree, transmitted.

2235. Wheat shoots strongest when there is an interval between the time of plowing and sowing, but barley is most vegetative when sown immediately after the plow.

2236. Grease Wheels.--Fifty parts, by weight, of pulverized black lead, 50 of lard, 50 of soap, and 5 of quicksilver. Rub the lard and mercury first together, then the lead and soap. If well mixed, it is invaluable.

2237. Plants, when drooping, are revived by a few grains of camphor.

2238. Flowers beginning to fade, can be restored by putting the stems in scalding water.

2239. Bacon Hams in Summer.--Pack in a barrel, in clean dry ashes or charcoal; head up the barrel and put it where it is dry, and as cool as possible.

2240. Timber cut in the spring and exposed to the weather with the bark on, decays much sooner than that cut in the fall.

2241. In Feeding with corn, 60 lbs. ground goes as far as 100 lbs. in the kernel.

2242. Apples.--Experiments show apples to be equal to potatoes to improve hogs, and decidedly profitable for fattening cattle.

2243. Pears are greatly improved by grafting on the mountain ash.

2244. Rats and other vermin are kept away from grain by a sprinkling of garlic when packing the sheaves.

2245. Wet Land.--Money skillfully expended in drying land, by draining or otherwise, will be returned with ample interest.

2246. Grass.--Sweet and nutritious grass gives a richness and flavor to milk, attainable from no other source.

2247. Curing Fodder.--Bundles may be so placed around centre-poles as to form a hollow-stack, having a foundation of brush, sticks, &c., admitting a circulation of air that will thoroughly cure fodder in the shade.

2248. Turnips of small size have double the nutritious matter that large ones have.

2249. Ruta Baga is the only root that increases in nutritious qualities as it increases in size.

2250. In transplanting trees, the hole should not be proportioned to the extent of the roots as they are, but to their extent as they may be and should be.

2251. Toads are the very best protection of cabbages against lice.

2252. Peach Trees are protected from hard winters by covering the roots a foot deep with straw, in January, after the ground has become thoroughly frozen, which keeps the frost in the ground, and so prevents the sap from starting until the Spring is fairly opened.

2253. Save your Fire Wood.--Mr. Madison, in his Notes of Agriculture, says, "Of all the errors in our rural economy, none perhaps is to be so much regretted, because none so difficult to be repaired, as the excessive and injudicious destruction of fire-wood."

2254. Sorrel may be killed out by lime, while ashes have no effect on it.

2255. Shumac or Sumac, a poisonous shrub or plant, which grows wild in abundance, and frequently where nothing else will, is used for dyeing in England, at the rate of thirteen thousand tons per annum. It might be made a source of profit to our farmers.

GARDENING

(SEE PAGE 291.)

2256. Kitchen Garden.--This is one of the most important parts of general domestic economy, whenever the situation of a house will permit a family to avail themselves of its assistance, in aid of butcher's bills.

2257. It is, indeed, much to be regretted that small plots of ground, in the immediate vicinity of the metropolis more especially, are too often frittered away into shrubberies and baby gardens, when they might more usefully be employed in raising vegetables for the family, during the week-day residence in town, than wasting their sweetness on the smoky air in all the pride of lilac, hollyhock, and bachelors' buttons, to be merely smelled to, by the whole immigrating household on the day of rest.

2258. With a little care and attention, a kitchen-garden, though small, might be rendered not only useful, but in fact, as ornamental as a modern grass carpet; and the same expense incurred to make the ground a labyrinth of sweets, might suffice to render it agreeable to the palate, as well as to the olfactory nerves, and that even without offending the most delicate optics.

2259. It is only in accordance with our plan to give the hint, and to record such novel points as may facilitate the proposed arrangement.

2260. It is one objection to the adoption of a kitchen garden in front of the dwelling, or in sight of the family apartments, that its very nature makes it rather an eye-sore than otherwise at all seasons.

2261. This, however, is an objection that may be readily got over by a little attention to neatness and good order, whilst the plants themselves, if judiciously attended to, and the borders sown or planted with ranunculus, polyanthus, mignionette, &c., in succession, will really be ornamental.

2262. But then, in cutting the plants for use, the business must be done neatly, all useless leaves cleared from the ground, the roots no longer wanted taken up, and the ravages of insects to be guarded against by sedulous extirpation. It will also be found a great improvement, where space will admit of it, to surround the beds with neat espaliers, with fruit trees, or even gooseberry and currant bushes trained along them, instead of these being suffered to grow in a state of ragged wildness.

DRYING HERBS.

2263. Fresh herbs are preferable to dried ones, but as they cannot always be obtained, it is most important to dry herbs at the proper seasons:--

2264. Basil is in a fit state for drying about the middle of August.

2265. Burret in June, July, and August.

2266. Chervil in May, June, and July.

2267. Elder Flowers in May, June, and July.

2268. Fennel in May, June, and July.

2269. Knotted Marjoram during July.

2270. Lemon Thyme end of July, and through August.

2271. Mint end of June and July.

2272. Orange Flowers May, June, and July.

2273. Orange Thyme (a delicious herb), June and July.

2274. Parsley May, June, and July.

2275. Sage, August and September.

2276. Summer Savory, end of July and August.

2277. Tarragon, June, July, and August.

2278. Thyme, end of July and August.

2279. Winter Savory, end of July and August.

2280. These herbs always at hand will be a great aid to the cook.

2281. Herbs should be gathered on a dry day; they should be immediately well cleansed, and dried by the heat of a stove, or Dutch oven.

2282. The leaves should then be picked off, pounded and sifted, and put away for use.

PROPERTIES AND USES OF VEGETABLES.

2283. Parsley is very cooling and softening.

2284. Catnip is a warm herb, of a diaphoretic or sweating nature.

2285. Pennyroyal is much the same, only more powerful. It retains a very powerful pungent oil.

2286. Spearmint is pungent and hot, but of an astringent nature.

2287. Calamint is much the same, but not so strong.

2288. Hoarhound is very strengthening to the lungs, and is somewhat of a pectoral. It is excellent in a cough, or stopage in the stomach.

2289. Everlasting, or Indian Posey, is a very balsamic herb--healing and cooling, and excellent in salves or ointment.

2290. Johnswort is much the same.

2291. Pea Balm is a cooling and sweating herb, and is good in fevers and inflammations.

2292. Chamomile is a great restorative to the lungs, and promotes perspiration. It is good in salves and ointments to take away swellings.

2293. Mayweed is of a pectoral nature, and is good for a pain in the side.

2294. Garden Coltsfoot is a great restorative to the lungs, and is good in syrups for coughs.

2295. Melilot is good in salves and ointments for swellings and inflammations. It is mollifying and cooling.

2296. Sage is the greatest restorative to human nature of any herb that grows.

2297. Bloodroot is a very powerful emetic or purge: steeped in spirits, it will serve for an emetic; and boiled in fair water it serves as a purge.

2298. Mandrake root is an excellent physic, dried and pounded.

2299. Cumfrey and Spikenard are so well known that they need no describing.

2300. Elecampane is good in coughs, yet it is an astringent.

2301. Cranesbill is an astringent, and excellent in cankers.

2302. Whiteroot is of a physical nature, and is good to remove wind pent in the stomach, or part of the bowels.

2303. Sassafras root is good for the blood.

2304. So also are Sarsaparilla, Horse Radish, Burdock roots, Elder roots.

2305. Hop roots, and Wild Coltsfoot are good as pectorals.

2306. White and Yellow Pond Lily roots, the same.

2307. Winter's Bark.--This is the product of one of the largest trees on Terra del Fuego. It is good in dropsy and scurvy.

2308. Wild Jenton is a strong cathartic, when boiled.

VEGETABLES TO CULTIVATE.

2309. Artichoke.--Sow early in the Spring, in rows three inches apart, or plant suckers.

2310. Asparagus.--Sow in April, in good rich soil.

2311. Beans. English Dwarfs.--Plant as early in the Spring as the ground will work.

2312. Kidney Dwarfs.--Plant from end of April to about 20th August.

2313. Pole or Running.--Plant beginning of May, and at intervals through the season.

2314. Beets.--Sow in drills, from early in the Spring till the middle of Summer. Leave the plants 6 to 8 inches apart in the drills.

2315. Borecole is an excellent green. Sow in Fall, either broadcast or in drills, as for Winter Spinach.

2316. Brussels Sprouts are cultivated for the small heads, which are attached to the stem. Sow in the middle of Spring, and treat as Winter Cabbage.

2317. Brocoli produces heads like cauliflower. Sow in seed bed about the middle of Spring. Transplant in rich ground when 8 or 12 inches high, and treat as Winter Cabbage.

2318. Cabbage.--For early cabbage, sow in Autumn, in seed beds. Protect during Winter; transplant early in the Spring. For late Cabbage, sow in seed bed, middle of Spring. Transplant early in Summer.

2319. Cardoon is much used for salads, soups, and stews. Treated much like Celery.

2320. Cauliflower.--Sow, for early, in seed beds, in Autumn; protect from frost, in cold frames, and transplant in rich ground after frost ceases. For late, manage as Brocoli.

2321. Carrots should be sown early in the Spring, in deep-dug and well-manured ground, in drills twelve or eighteen inches apart.

2322. Celery should be sown early in the Spring, in light rich moist soil. Transplant in trenches, highly manured, when about six inches high. Blanch by earthing up as they advance in growth.

2323. Chervil.--A small salad. Sow early in the Spring, and after heat of Summer.

2324. Cress.--Used as a salad. Sow very thick, in shallow drills, at intervals through the season.

2325. Corn Salad.--Used as a salad during the Winter and Spring. Sow thick, in drills, about 1st of September, and cover with straw on the approach of cold.

2326. Cucumbers should be planted first week in May, in hills four feet apart; prepare the ground by incorporating a shovelful of rotten dung in each hill.

2327. Endive.--Sow last of Spring to middle of Summer, in shallow drills.

2328. Egg-Plant.--Sow in hot-beds early in the Spring; transplant in rich warm ground late in the Spring, about 30 inches apart. Egg-plant seed will not vegetate freely without a substantial heat.

2329. Lettuce should be sown in seed bed, in the middle of September; protect the plants through the Winter, and early in the Spring transplant in rich ground; or sow in hot-beds, in March, and at intervals throughout the season.

2330. Melon.--Plant in hills, in light sandy earth, about the first week in May.

2331. Mushroom Spawn should be planted in hot-beds of dung, covered with earth.

2332. Mustard.--Sown like Cress, and used for a salad.

2333. Nasturtium.--Sow in May. The flowers and young leaves are used as a salad; the seed-pods, with foot-stalk, are gathered whilst green, and pickled as a substitute for capers.

2334. Okra, or Gombo, is one of the best of vegetables. Plant in May. The seed should be sown thick, as it is liable to rot in the ground. Very rich ground is required.

2335. Onions should be sown in drills, early in the Spring, in rich ground, thin, to stand two or three inches apart.

2336. Parsley should be sown early in the Spring. Soak in warm water before sowing.

2337. Parsnip.--Sow in drills 18 inches apart, in good and deep-dug ground, early in the Spring.

2338. Peas.--The best soil for Peas is a light loam. The early sorts require rich ground. Sow in drills as early in the Spring as the ground will work.

2339. Pepper.--Sow late in Spring, in drills, on a warm border; or in a frame or hot-bed, in March; set out plants eighteen inches apart.

2340. Pumpkin.--The Mammoth Pumpkin has been grown to the enormous weight of 225 pounds. Plant early in May, in rich soil, in hills, eight to ten feet apart each way.

2341. Radish.--The early kinds should be sown as soon as the ground can be worked, in a sheltered situation.

2342. Rhubarb should be sown in Autumn or early in the Spring; when in the latter, transplant in the ensuing Spring to desired situation. The stems are used for tarts, and are fit for use before green fruit can be obtained, being a very desirable substitute.

2343. Salsify, or Vegetable Oyster, should be sown during April. The roots boiled, made into cakes with paste, and fried like oysters, much resembles them.

2344. Spinach should be sown as soon as the ground can be worked. The soil cannot be too rich for Spinach.

2345. Squash.--Cultivate same as Cucumber.

2346. Tomato.--Sow in hills three feet apart, on a warm border, early in the Spring. As the plants advance in growth, give them support.

2347. Turnip.--For summer use, sow early in the Spring. For main crop, sow close of Summer. The Ruta Baga requires more time to mature, and should be sown at midsummer.

2348. Aromatic and Sweet Herbs.--Anise, Brazil, (sweet), Caraway, Coriander, *Fennel, *Lavender, Marygold, Pot, Marjorum, (sweet), *Sage, Summer Savory, *Winter Savory, *Thyme, *Mint, *Rosemary, Dill.

2349. Those marked with a * are perennial, and when once obtained, may be preserved for years. The others are annual.

FRUIT TREES AND FRUIT.

2350. Fruits, in a ripe and perfect state, are beneficial to health, if not eaten to excess.

2351. Stunted trees never become vigorous, nor when too long crowded in nurseries.

2352. In Grafting, 25 well placed are better than 100 grafts placed at random, and ten placed injudiciously will change the whole top of a tree in a few years, when 200 grafts may be so scattered as not materially to change the top of the tree or its fruit. Graft only on such as are sound and vigorous.

2353. Haggling off limbs and branches and leaving stumps on the trees, which rot off and let the water into the trunk, soon destroys the tree; therefore, always cut or saw off smooth, when the wound will heal and the bark grow over.

2354. Sound, vigorous trees, and no other, should be set out, as they take no more trouble or space than the worthless ones.

2355. Budding should only be done with fresh buds, on very small stocks of vigorous growth. Begin after sap starts, until 1st June. Later will do. Make incision like a T; raise the corners and insert the bud with as little of the wood as possible, and bandage, not too tight, for three weeks.

2356. Scions may be cut in February or March, before or at the time the buds begin to swell; or take grafts size of a pipe-stem, from bearing branches, not from side shoots nor the rank growth of the top. Put in earth one-third their length, keep from frost, and occasionally sprinkle, to prevent shriveling, but not so wet as to sprout them.

2357. Composition.--Resin 8 oz., beeswax, 3 oz.; melt up with lard, and work it like shoemaker's wax; for wounds made in pruning or grafting.

2358. Split the stock, drive in a wedge six or eight inches long, open the split so as to admit the graft freely; sharpen end of graft and insert, matching the wood of graft and wood of the stock; remove the wedge carefully, and cover smooth over with composition, tight, to exclude air, and the sap will force its way to the graft.

2359. Seed.--Select from healthy trees, sound, ripe and fair fruit, and place in sand, in a cellar or other cool, damp place, until time to plant. If kept too dry, they seldom vegetate. Let the soil be good, well worked, not too wet; cover up and press the ground moderately over. Plant in Fall, before the ground is frozen, or in Spring, soon as the ground can be worked.

2360. Soil.--Low, wet or marshy ground is not suitable. Soil appropriate for crops of grain, is also adapted to the cultivation of fruit trees, shrubs or vines. Occasional digging, mellowing the ground, keeping down underbrush and weeds, and manuring, are beneficial.

2361. Cleanliness is essential. Destroy all caterpillars, noxious worms and insects, and prune off all affected parts. Scrape off all rough, ragged bark and moss, and wash well with soap-suds or cover with a coat of limewash. Remove all suckers from the roots, side branches and excrescences.

2362. Grubs, which occasion disease, may be prevented by coating the roots and lower trunk, about July 1, with tar, train oil, or whitewash, and sprinkling a little lime, ashes, or soap-suds, on the ground around the tree. When seriously affected, dig the earth from the roots near the surface, and search thoroughly in the bark for the grub; cleanse off the gum, &c., wash with ley or soap-suds, or rub dry ashes over them, and close up with good fresh earth. Doing this as occasion requires, will ensure health and vigor.

2363. Slugs and Snails are great enemies to every kind of garden-plant, whether flower or vegetable; they wander in the night to feed, and return at daylight to their haunts; the shortest and surest direction is, "Rise early, catch them, and kill them."--(See p. 281.)

2364. Another way.--Lay cabbage leaves about the ground, especially on the beds which they frequent. Every morning examine these leaves, and you will find a great many taking refuge beneath.

2365. Caterpillars and Aphides.--A garden syringe or engine, with a cap on the pipe full of very minute holes, will wash away these disagreeable visitors very quickly. You must bring the pipe close to the plant, and pump hard, so as to have considerable force on, and the plant, however badly infested, will soon be cleared without receiving any injury.--(See p. 277.)

2366. Rake the Earth.--Every time that you use the syringe or garden-engine, you must immediately rake the earth under the trees, and kill the insects you have dislodged, or many will recover and climb up the stems of the plants.

2367. Grubs on Orchard Trees.--Make a bonfire with dry sticks and weeds on the windward side of the orchard, so that the smoke may blow among the trees; you will destroy thousands; for the grubs have such an objection to smoke, that very little of it makes them roll themselves up and fall off; they must be swept up afterward.

2368. Wasps destroy a good deal of fruit, but every pair of wasps killed in spring saves the trouble and annoyance of a swarm in autumn.

2369. Butterflies and Moths, however pretty, are the worst enemies one can have in a garden; a single insect of this kind may deposit eggs enough to overrun a tree with caterpillars, therefore they should be destroyed at any cost of trouble.

2370. The only moth that you must spare, is the common black and red one; the grubs of this feed exclusively on grounsel, and are therefore a valuable ally of the gardener.

2371. Earwigs are very destructive insects; their favorite food is the petals of roses, pinks, dahlias, and other flowers.

2372. To kill Earwigs.--They may be caught by driving stakes into the ground, and placing on each an inverted flower-pot; the earwigs will climb up and take refuge under it, when they may be taken out and killed.--(See p. 279.)

2373. Or very deep holes may be made in the ground with a crowbar, into these they will fall, and may be destroyed by boiling water.

2374. Toads are among the best friends the gardener has; for they live almost exclusively on the most destructive kinds of vermin.

2375. The Rose Slug.--A new and sure mode to destroy these insects, either when as a fly laying its eggs, or as a slug, is the following:--

2376. Whale Oil Soap, dissolved at the rate of two pounds to fifteen gallons of water.

2377. Mode of Preparation.--Take whatever quantity of soap you wish to prepare, and dissolve it in boiling water, about one quart to a pound; in this way strain it through a fine wire or hair sieve, which takes out the dirt, prevents its stopping the valves of the engine, or the nose of the syringe; then add cold water to make it the proper strength.

2378. How to use it.--Apply it to the rose-bush with a hand engine or syringe, with as much force as practicable, and be sure that every part of the leaves is well saturated with the liquid. What falls to the ground in application, will do good in destroying the worms and enriching the soil, and from its trifling cost, it can be used with profusion.

2379. The cost.--A hogshead of 136 gallons costs forty-five cents--not quite four mills per gallon. Early in the morning, or in the evening, is the proper time to apply it to the plants.

2380. Mildew on the Gooseberry, Peach, Grape-vine, &c., is checked and entirely destroyed by a weak dressing of the solution.

2381. The Canker Worm.--Laying soap oil on the trunk and branches of the tree, at the consistency of thick paint, destroys the brown, scaly insect on the bark, and gives the tree a smooth, glossy, and healthy appearance.

2382. To free Plants from Leaf-Lice.--Mix one ounce of flowers of sulphur with one bushel of sawdust; scatter this over the plants infected with these insects, and they will soon be freed, though a second application may possibly be necessary.

2383. Keeping Fruits.--The three best of eight different modes fairly tried, are, 1, covering in pure dry sand; 2, in dry fern; 3, in a deal box buried in the earth. In all cases to be kept cool.

2384. Sunflower yields 140 bushels per acre, and each bushel one gallon of good oil. Its leaves furnish provender; its seeds, food for poultry and hogs. It thrives on poor soils.

2385. To prepare a cheap Hortus Siccus.--All the small plants should be expanded under water, in a plate, on a piece of writing-paper. In this state they will assume their natural form and position. Then withdraw the paper with the plant gently from the water, and place them between sheets of blotting-paper, and press them with a book or flat board. When dry, it may be placed on writing-paper.

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X. PERSONAL MATTERS

Dress of Ladies--Dress of Gentlemen--Manners--Etiquette of Society--Dinner Parties--Courtship--Marriage--The Ceremony--After Marriage--Social Intercourse--"Our House," etc.

2386. Importance of Dress.--Attention to personal appearance is a human duty as well as a required observance in civilized society.

2387. The following rules will be found useful in guiding the judgment and taste of those who desire to dress well.

DRESS OF LADIES.

2388. A young lady should always be neatly attired. A fresh-looking and well-fitting dress is more important than rich materials or showy ornaments.

2389. Never furbish up old finery, if you wish to appear really the lady. A clean, soft, white muslin gown is far more genteel than a tarnished brocade.

2390. Colors and Complexions.--The great art, as regards colors of dress, is to enhance the tints of the complexion, care being taken to let the flesh appear of a healthy natural hue, and to avoid wearing those colors which heighten or destroy either the red, yellow, or white, in the natural flesh tints.

2391. Primitive Colors.--Out of three primitive colors, red, blue, and yellow, there are endless mixtures and variations, and some of these can skillfully be adapted to any complexion; but to do so, these two rules must be observed: the rule of Harmony and of judicious Contrast.

2392. Decided Colors, or colors without mixture, are very unbecoming. A lady all blue in dress would be more disagreeable than a real bleu.

2393. Red, and its dark variations, may be worn by dark persons, and will harmonize with their complexion.

2394. Crimson and brilliant red are vulgar and unsuitable, but purple and dark maroon, worn by brunettes, and persons of a dark complexion, are both becoming and genteel, either in evening or winter dresses.

2395. Blue is a becoming color to fair faces and blue eyes. It also looks well worn by brunettes, when the wearer is youthful.

2396. Light blue is a beautiful color for spring dresses; dark blues look better in the autumn and winter.

2397. Red Colors.--Light red and pink, approaching flesh tints, are becoming both to dark and to fair; to the former especially, because they, by contrast, set off the complexion.

2398. Fair persons venturing upon such dresses or trimmings by daylight, should have clear and excellent complexions, or the brightness of the color, from a similarity of tint, will make their faces appear dirty and clouded.

2399. Chocolate colors, and warm browns partaking of red, may be worn by either fair or dark persons, provided they be not too pale, in which case the contrast will render the face chalky or death-like.

2400. Yellow in dress, as well as orange, is also more becoming to dark than to fair persons.

2401. Primrose is becoming to fair persons. The trimmings of this color, the flowers and ribbons, should be violet, such contrast being agreeable to art and nature.

2402. Maize color is becoming to all complexions, especially to those which are brilliant.

2403. Grain is more becoming to fair than to dark persons, because in the fair complexion, brilliancy and depth of color are more frequently found.

2404. Pale green should never be worn by the dark, it rendering them sickly and cadaverous in look. To those of a fair and brilliant complexion it is most becoming.

2405. Trimmings.--For trimmings and flowers ladies cannot do better than to study nature, there being in the leaves of flowers every imaginable tint of green, whilst the flowers themselves are various in their hue.

2406. Artificials should be few, and perfectly arranged. A load of flowers is a burden, not a beauty.

2407. The most elegant dresses are black or white.

2408. A vulgar girl wears bright and glaring colors, fantastically made, a large flaring, red, yellow, or sky-blue hat, covered with a rainbow of ribbons, and all the rings and trinkets she can load upon her.

2409. In any assemblage, the most plainly-dressed woman is sure to be the most lady-like and attractive. Neatness is better than richness, and plainness better than display.

2410. It is a general rule, applicable to both sexes, that persons are the best dressed when you cannot remember how they were dressed. Avoid every thing out of the way, uncommon, or grotesque.

2411. Single ladies dress less in fashionable society than married ones; and all more plainly and substantially for walking or traveling, than on other occasions.

2412. Common modesty should prevent indecent exposure of the shoulders and bosom.

2413. Tight Lacing.--No woman who laces tight can have good shoulders, a straight spine, good lungs, sweet breath, or is fit to be a wife and mother.

2414. Can it be a pleasant sight to behold a woman cut in two in the middle, as it were, like a wasp? On the contrary, it is as shocking to the eye as it is painful to the imagination.

2415. Every thing that confines and lays nature under a restraint is an instance of bad taste. This is as true in regard to the ornaments of the body as to the embellishments of the mind.

2416. Life, health, reason, and convenience, ought to be taken first into consideration.

2417. Gracefulness cannot subsist without ease; delicacy is not debility; nor must a woman be sick in order to please.

2418. The distinction of the sexes, notwithstanding that it is so prominent and marked, still requires a distinctive dress. This has generally, by all nations, civilized or savage, been conceded.

2419. This difference has been so permanent, that any attempt to lessen it--and there have been many--has failed, and must fail whenever attempted.

2420. Robes.--The outer garment of woman is, and has been for centuries, the robe or gown, and upon the proper choice, make, and disposition of this, and its concomitants, depends the elegance or inelegance of the wearer.

2421. The gown should fall gracefully from the hips, as free as possible from the odious "bustle" or "hoop." It should fall in long full folds, and expand gradually to the feet, which it should touch, but not entirely cover.

2422. Flounces should only be worn by those of a tall, graceful figure, and then they should be made of a light material, gauze, muslin, or of stuff akin to it, so that they fall in gracefully with the outline of the dress. When made of any rich stuff, which stands out stiffly, they break the graceful flow of the dress.

2423. Flounces, by marking the height, at regular intervals, take away from it, and make a short figure look shorter. For this reason, short persons should not wear stripes running in parallel rings round the dress. Perpendicular stripes upon a dress make the wearer look taller, like the flutes in a composite.

2424. The rules which we have given for the color of the dress, must of course apply to the covering for the head; the colors must, to look well, contrast or harmonize with the complexion.

2425. Texture, material, and pattern, should suit, not only the taste, but also the purse. There are few greater evils in this country than an inordinate passion for dress.

2426. No one looks so well dressed as those who are dressed properly, neatly, and whose attire sets them at their ease. A lady who is so over-dressed as to be constantly afraid of spoiling her gown, can never be graceful, since she cannot be at her ease.

2427. The hair should always be neatly brushed and arranged.

2428. Ringlets make round faces look longer, and more oval; plain bands make the face which is too long, lose part of that length. This should be studied. It is manifestly absurd to render oneself hideous merely to follow the fashion.

2429. The dress of the foot is important both for beauty and health.

2430. Thus, a thin shoe in winter would be vulgar, because useless and dangerous to the wearer's health, and a thick boot in summer would be gauche and vulgar.

2431. Boots and shoes should be well, nay, scientifically made. The foot should be fitted well, but not compressed.

2432. Modern boots and shoes are therefore often made narrow, just where they should be wide; and the foot, instead of being beautiful in shape, and graceful in its action, becomes long, narrow, distorted, and ungraceful when used.

2433. Gloves must be fresh and well-fitting to make the dress perfect.

2434. Ladies' dresses should be chosen so as to produce an agreeable harmony.

2435. Never put on a dark-colored bonnet with a light spring costume.

2436. Avoid uniting colors which will suggest an epigram; such as a straw-colored dress with a green bonnet.

2437. The arrangement of the hair is most important.

2438. Bands are becoming to faces of a Grecian caste.

2439. Ringlets better suit lively and expressive heads.

2440. Whatever be your style of face, avoid an excess of lace, and let flowers be few and choice.

2441. In a married woman, a richer style of ornament is admissible.

2442. Costly elegance for the married--for the young girl, a style of modest simplicity.

2443. The most elegant dress loses its character if it is not worn with grace.

2444. Young girls have often an air of constraint, and their dress seems to partake of their want of ease.

2445. In speaking of her toilet, a woman should not convey the idea that her whole skill consists in adjusting tastefully some trifling ornaments.

2446. A simple style of dress is an indication of modesty.

2447. Neatness.--The hands should receive special attention. They are the outward signs of general cleanliness. The same may be said of the face, the neck, the ears, and the teeth.

2448. The cleanliness of the system generally, and of bodily apparel, pertains to Health, and will be treated of under this head.

2449. The Handkerchief.--There is considerable art in using this accessory of dress and comfort.

2450. Avoid extreme patterns, styles, and colors.

2451. Never be without a handkerchief.

2452. Hold it freely in the hand, and do not roll it into a ball. Hold it by the centre, and let the corners form a fan-like expansion.

2453. Avoid using it too much. With some persons the habit becomes troublesome and unpleasant.

2454. A word to Young Ladies.--If you have blue eyes, you need not languish.

2455. If black eyes, you need not stare.

2456. If you have pretty feet, there is no occasion to wear short petticoats.

2457. If you are doubtful as to that point, there can be no harm in letting them be long.

2458. If you have good teeth, do not laugh for the purpose of showing them.

2459. If you have bad ones, do not laugh less than the occasion may justify.

2460. If you have pretty hands and arms, there can be no objection to your playing on the harp, if you play well.

2461. If they are disposed to be clumsy, work tapestry.

2462. If you have a bad voice, speak in a rather low tone.

2463. If you have the finest voice in the world, never speak in a high tone.

2464. If you dance well, dance but seldom.

2465. If you dance ill, never dance at all.

2466. If you sing well, make no previous excuses.

2467. If you sing indifferently, hesitate not a moment when you are asked, for few people are judges of singing, but every one is sensible of a desire to please.

2468. If you would preserve beauty, rise early.

2469. If you would preserve esteem, be gentle.

2470. If you would obtain power, be condescending.

2471. If you would live happy, endeavor to promote the happiness of others.

DRESS OF A GENTLEMAN.

2472. Since dress is, with the world, the outward sign of both character and condition: and since it costs no more to dress well than ill, and is not very troublesome, every one should endeavor to do the best that his circumstances will allow.

2473. The Shirt.--A clean, unrumpled shirt, coarse or fine, cotton or linen, as you can afford, is of the first importance. If the choice is between a fine shirt or a fine coat, have the shirt by all means.

2474. Fine Linen, and a good hat, gloves and boots are evidences of the highest taste in dress.

2475. A gentleman walking should always wear gloves, this being one of the characteristics of good breeding.

2476. Upon public and State occasions, officers should appear in uniform.

2478. A black coat and trowsers are indispensable for a visit of ceremony, an entertainment, or a ball.

2479. The white or black waistcoat is equally proper in these cases.

2480. Yellow or white gloves are worn in the ball-room.

2481. A neat exterior, equally free from extravagance and poverty, almost always proclaims a right-minded man.

2482. To dress appropriately, and with good taste, is to respect yourself and others.

2483. Neatness.--A well-bred man may be ever so reduced in his wardrobe--his clothes may be coarse and threadbare, but he seldom wears a coarse, and never a dirty shirt.

2484. The Boots.--Boots are now men's common wear on all occasions, varying in elegance for different purposes. They should always be clean, and invariably well blackened and polished.

2485. The Hat.--Make a point of buying a good hat. One proper fur hat, worth four or five dollars, when a year old, looks more respectable than a silk one bought yesterday.

2486. Of the trowsers little need be said. When full at the bottom they serve to hide a large foot. If colored trowsers are worn, those patterns should be chosen which conform to the rules of taste. Bars running across the legs should be avoided, and also all large staring patterns.

2487. The Vest allows of some fancy, but beware of being too fanciful. A black satin is proper for any person or any occasion. Nothing is more elegant than pure white. Some quiet colors may be worn for variety, but beware of every thing staring or glaring, in materials or trimmings.

2488. Avoid all singularity in dress; never wear gaudy waistcoats, out-of-the-way hats, or coats of the extreme of "sporting fashion:" such things are positively odious.

2489. We may add a few general maxims, applied to both sexes.

2490. "All affectation in dress," says Chesterfield, "implies a flaw in the understanding." One should therefore avoid being singular, or eccentric.

2491. Never dress against any one. Choose those garments which suit you, and look well upon you, perfectly irrespective of the fact that a lady or gentleman in the same village or street may excel you.

2492. When dressed for company, strive to appear as easy and natural as if you were in undress.

2493. Dress according to your age. It is both painful and ridiculous to see an old lady dressed as a belle of four-and-twenty; or an old fellow, old enough for a grandfather, affecting the costume and the manners of a beau.

2494. Young men should be well dressed. Not foppishly, but neatly and well. An untidy person at five-and-twenty, degenerates, very frequently, into a sloven and a boor at fifty.

2495. Be not too negligent, nor too studied, in your attire.

2496. Let your behavior and conversation suit the clothes you wear, so that those who know you may feel that, after all, dress and external appearance is the least portion of a LADY OR GENTLEMAN.

MANNERS.

2497. It is sometimes objected to books upon etiquette, that they cause those who consult them to act with mechanical restraint, and to show in society that they are governed by arbitrary rules, rather than by an intuitive perception of what is graceful and polite.

2498. This objection is unsound, because it supposes that people who study the theory of etiquette, do not also exercise their powers of observation in society, and obtain, by their intercourse with others, that freedom and ease of deportment, which society alone can impart.

2499. Books upon etiquette are useful, inasmuch as that they expound the laws of polite society. Experience alone, however, can give effect to the precise manner in which those laws are required to be observed.

2500. Whatever objections may be raised to the teachings of works upon etiquette, there can be no sound argument against a series of simple and brief hints, which shall operate as precautions against mistakes in personal conduct.

2501. Avoid intermeddling with the affairs of others. This is a most common fault.

2502. A number of people seldom meet but they begin discussing the affairs of some one who is absent. This is not only uncharitable but positively unjust. It is equivalent to trying a cause in the absence of the person implicated.

2503. Even in the criminal code, a prisoner is presumed to be innocent until he is found guilty. Society, however, is less just, and passes judgment without hearing the defense.

2504. Depend upon it, as a certain rule, that the people who unite with you in discussing the affairs of others, will proceed to scandalize you the moment that you depart.

2505. Be consistent in the avowal of principles. Do not deny to-day, that which you asserted yesterday. You may fancy that you gain favor by subserviency; but so far from gaining favor, you lose respect.

2506. Avoid falsehood. There can be found no higher virtue than that of truth.

2507. Be honest. Not only because "honesty is the best policy," but because it is a duty to God and to man.

2508. Avoid idleness--it is the parent of many evils. Can you pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," and not hear the reply, "Do thou this day thy daily duty?"

2509. Avoid telling idle tales, which is like firing arrows in the dark; you know not into whose heart they may fall.

2510. Avoid talking about yourself; praising your own works; and proclaiming your own deeds. If they are good, they will proclaim themselves; if bad, the less you say of them the better.

2511. Be kind in little things.

2512. The true generosity of the heart is more displayed by deeds of minor kindness, than by acts which may partake of ostentation.

2513. Reason is given for man's guidance. Passion is the tempest by which reason is overthrown. Under the effects of passion, man's mind becomes disordered, his face disfigured, his body deformed.

2514. A moment's passion has frequently cut off a life's friendship, destroyed a life's hope, imbittered a life's peace, and brought unending sorrow and disgrace.

2515. Avoid pride. If you are handsome, God made you so; if you are learned, some one instructed you; if you are rich, God gave you what you own.

2516. The best men throughout all history, have been the most humble.

2517. Affectation is a form of pride. It is, in fact, pride made ridiculous and contemptible. Affectation is usually the fault of weak people.

2518. Avoid swearing. An oath is but the wrath of a perturbed spirit.

2519. It is mean. A man of high moral standing would rather treat an offense with contempt, than show his indignation by an oath.

2520. It is vulgar: altogether too low for a decent man.

2521. It is cowardly: implying a fear of either not being believed or obeyed.

2522. It is ungentlemanly. A gentleman, according to Webster, is a genteel man--well-bred, refined.

2523. It is indecent: offensive to delicacy, and extremely unfit for human ears.

2524. It is foolish. "Want of decency is want of sense."

2525. It is abusive--to the mind which conceives the oath, to the tongue which utters it, and to the person at whom it is aimed.

2526. It is venomous, showing a man's heart to be as a nest of vipers; and every time he swears, one of them starts out from his head.

2527. It is contemptible--forfeiting the respect of all the wise and good.

2528. It is wicked: violating the Divine law, and provoking the displeasure of Him who will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

2529. Be a gentleman. Swear not at all.

2530. Moderation, decorum, and neatness, distinguish the gentleman; he is at all times affable, diffident, and studious to please. Intelligent and polite, his behavior is pleasant and graceful.

2531. Appear only to be a gentleman, and its shadow will bring upon you contempt; be a gentleman, and its honors will remain even after you are dead.

2532. The foregoing remarks may be said to apply to the moral conduct, rather than to the details of personal manners.

2533. Great principles, however, suggest minor ones; and hence from the principles laid down, many hints upon personal behavior may be gathered.

2534. Be hearty in your salutations.

2535. Be true in your professions.

2536. Discreet and sincere in your friendships.

2537. Like to listen rather than to talk.

2538. Behave, even in the presence of your relations, as though you felt respect to be due to them.

2539. In society never forget that you are but one of many.

2540. Visiting a friend, conform to the rules of his home.

2541. Lean not upon his tables, nor rub your feet against his chairs.

2542. Pry not into letters that are not your own.

2543. Pay unmistakable respect to ladies everywhere.

2544. Beware of foppery and of silly flirtation.

2545. In public places, be not pertinacious of your rights.

2546. Find pleasure in making concessions.

2547. Speak distinctly.

2548. Look at the person to whom you speak.

2549. When you have spoken, give him an opportunity to reply.

2550. Avoid drunkenness as you would a curse; and modify all appetites, especially those that are acquired.

2551. Dress well, but not superfluously.

2552. Be neither like a sloven, nor like a stuffed model.

2553. Keep away all uncleanly appearances from the person. Let the nails, the teeth, and in fact, the whole system receive salutary rather than studied care. But let these things receive attention at the toilet--not elsewhere.

2554. Avoid displaying excess of jewelry. Nothing looks more effeminate upon a man.

2555. Every one of these suggestions may be regarded as the centre of many others, which the earnest mind can not fail to discover.

2556. Avoid envy, for it can not benefit you, nor can it injure those against whom it is cherished.

2557. Avoid disputation, for the mere sake of argument.

2558. Be sociable; avoid reserve in society.

2559. Remember that the social elements, like the air we breathe, are purified by motion. Thought illumines thought, and smiles win smiles.

2560. Be punctual. One minute too late has lost many a golden opportunity. Besides which, the want of punctuality is an affront offered to the person to whom your presence is due.

2561. Be polite. Politeness is the poetry of conduct--and like poetry it has many qualities.

2562. Let not your politeness be too florid, but of that gentle kind which indicates refined nature.

2563. It is true, indeed, that we should not dissemble and flatter in company; but a man may be very agreeable, strictly consistent with truth and sincerity, by a prudent silence where he can not concur, and a pleasing assent where he can.

2564. Now and then you meet with a person so exactly formed to please, that he will gain upon every one that hears or beholds him; this disposition is not merely the gift of nature, but frequently the effect of much knowledge of the world, and a command over the passions.

2565. Ceremonies.--All ceremonies are in themselves very silly things; but, yet a man of the world should know them. They are the outworks of manners and decency, which would be too often broken in upon, if it were not for that defense which keeps the enemy at a proper distance.

2566. Therefore always treat fools and coxcombs with great ceremony, true good-breeding not being a sufficient barrier against them.

2567. Agreeableness.--The true art of being agreeable is to appear well-pleased with all the company, and rather to seem well entertained with them than to bring entertainment to them.

2568. Eschew personalities and personal adventures; nothing is more tedious than one who is addicted to talk prodigiously about himself.

2569. Never, in a mixed company, speak disrespectfully of woman.

2570. Treat your parents with the greatest possible respect. Restrain yourself even from smiling at their foibles, or their weaknesses. Obey them, even should you yourself be of mature age.

2571. To restrain your desire for indulgences is not only well bred, but it is heroic; much good results from it. Watch well the little sins, and you will escape those which are more gross. This applies, not only to morals, but to the minor morals--the manners.

2572. A badly-tempered man, and he who has no command over his passions, will rarely become a polished gentleman.

2573. If you have children, be careful to behave well before them. Remember that the child naturally and easily imitates the actions of his parent, be they good or evil.

2574. Any thing which is essentially out of place is vulgar. Thus, an over familiarity with servants is vulgar, because it is out of place, and can only lead to a bad result.

RULES OF ETIQUETTE.

2575. In walking with a gentleman, the step of the lady must be lengthened, and his shortened, to prevent the hobbling appearance of not keeping step.

2576. Of course, the conversation of a stranger, beyond asking a necessary question, must be considered as a gross insult, and repelled with proper spirit.

2577. Having dressed yourself, pay no further attention to your clothes. Few things look worse than a continual fussing with your attire.

2578. Never scratch your head, pick your teeth, clean your nails, or worse than all, pick your nose in company; all these things are disgusting. Spit as little as possible, and never upon the floor.

2579. Do not lounge on sofas, nor tip back your chair, nor elevate your feet.

2580. If you are going into the company of ladies, beware of onions, spirits, and tobacco.

2581. If you can sing or play, do so at once when requested, without requiring to be pressed, or make a fuss.

2582. On the other hand, let your performance be brief, or, if ever so good, it will be tiresome.

2583. When a lady sits down to the pianoforte, some gentleman should attend her, arrange the music-stool, and turn over the leaves.

2584. Do not make yourself too conspicuous in those attentions. The lady, not the gentleman, is the performer.

2585. Never tattle, nor repeat in one society any scandal or personal matter you hear in another.

2586. Give your own opinion of people, if you please, but never repeat that of others.

2587. Meeting an acquaintance among strangers in the street or a coffee-house, never address him by name. It is vulgar and annoying.

2588. It is not considered fashionable to introduce two persons who accidentally meet in your parlor, and who are paying you a morning visit.

2589. Never introduce in the street, unless the third person joins and walks with you. You may make an exception to this rule when the parties are mutually desirous of knowing one another.

2590. When a gentleman is presented to a lady, if she is in her own house and desires to welcome him, she may shake hands with him; but on any other occasion, unless the gentleman is venerable, or the bosom friend of the husband or father, this practice is reprehensible.

2591. A lady is at liberty either to take another lady or a gentleman to pay a morning visit to a friend, without asking permission; but she should never allow a gentleman the same liberty.

2592. A lady who is invited to an evening assembly may always request a gentleman who has not been invited by the lady of the house, to accompany her.

2593. If you are walking with one lady, do not stop to converse with others who are unknown to her; as she must necessarily feel unpleasant; but, if with a gentleman, you may do as you please.

2594. Visits and Presentations.--Friendship calls should be made in the forenoon, and require neatness, without costliness of dress.

2595. Calls to give invitations to dinner parties, or balls, should be very short, and should be paid in the afternoon.

2596. Visits of condolence require a grave style of dress.

2597. A formal visit should never be made before noon. If a second visitor is announced, it will be proper for you to retire, unless you are very intimate, both with the host and the visitor announced; unless, indeed, the host expresses a wish for you to remain.

2598. Visits after balls or parties should be made within a month.

2599. In the latter, it is customary to enclose your card in an envelope, bearing the address outside. This may be sent by post, if you reside at a distance. But, in the neighborhood, it is polite to send your servant, or to call. In the latter case, a corner should be turned down.

2600. Scrape your shoes and use the mat.

2601. When a new visitor enters a drawing-room, if it be a gentleman, the ladies bow slightly; if a lady, the guests rise.

2602. Hold your hat in your hand, unless requested to place it down. Then lay it beside you.

2603. The last arrival in a drawing-room takes a seat left vacant near the mistress of the house.

2604. A lady is not required to rise on receiving a gentleman, nor to accompany him to the door.

2605. When your visitor retires, ring the bell for the servant. You may then accompany your guest as far toward the door as the circumstances of your friendship seem to demand.

2606. Request the servant, during the visit of guests, to be ready to attend to the door the moment the bell rings.

2607. When you introduce a person pronounce the name distinctly, and say whatever you can to make the introduction agreeable. Such as "an old and valued friend," a "school-fellow of mine," "an old acquaintance of our family."

2608. Never stare about you in a room as if you were taking stock.

2609. The gloves should not be removed during a visit.

2610. Be hearty in your reception of guests. And where you see much diffidence, assist the stranger to throw it off.

2611. A lady does not put her address on her visiting card.

2612. In all your associations, keep constantly in view the adage, "too much freedom breeds contempt."

2613. Never be guilty of practical jokes; if you accustom yourself to them, it is probable you will become so habituated as to commit them upon persons who will not allow of such liberties: I have known a duel to arise from a slap on the back.

2614. If there be another chair in the room, do not offer a lady that from which you have just risen.

2615. Always suspect the advances of any person who may wish for your acquaintance, and who has had no introduction: circumstances may qualify this remark, but as a general principle, acquaintances made in a public room or place of amusement are not desirable.

2616. Never converse while a person is singing; it is an insult not only to the singer, but to the company.

2617. The essential part of good breeding is the practical desire to afford pleasure, and to avoid giving pain. Any man possessing this desire, requires only opportunity and observation to make him a gentleman.

2618. Always take off your hat when handing a lady to her carriage, or the box of a theatre, or a public room.

2619. If, in a public promenade, you pass and repass persons of your acquaintance, it is only necessary to salute them on the first occasion.

2620. Do not affect singularity of dress by wearing any thing that is so conspicuous as to demand attention; and particularly avoid what I believe I must call the ruffian style.

2621. Never lose your temper at cards, and particularly avoid the exhibition of anxiety or vexation at want of success.

2622. If you are playing whist, not only keep your temper, but hold your tongue; any intimation to your partner is decidedly ungentlemanly.

2623. Let presents to a young lady be characterized by taste, not remarkable for intrinsic value.

2624. Except under very decided circumstances, it is both ungentlemanly and dangerous to cut a person: if you wish to rid yourself of any one's society, a cold bow in the street, and particular ceremony in the circles of your mutual acquaintance, is the best mode of conduct to adopt.

2625. Never introduce your own affairs for the amusement of a company; it shows a sad want of mental cultivation, or excessive weakness of intellect.

2626. Recollect, also, that such a discussion cannot be interesting to others, and that the probability is that the most patient listener is a complete gossip, laying the foundation for some tale to make you appear ridiculous.

2627. When you meet a gentleman with whom you are acquainted, you bow, raising your hat slightly with the left hand, which leaves your right at liberty to shake hands if you stop.

2628. If the gentleman is ungloved, you must take off yours, not otherwise.

2629. Meeting a lady, the rule is that she should make the first salute, or at least indicate by her manner that she recognizes you.

2630. Your bow must be lower, and your hat carried further from your head: but you never offer to shake hands; that is her privilege.

2631. The right, being the post of honor, is given to superiors and ladies, except in the street, when they take the wall, as furthest from danger from passing carriages, in walking with or meeting them.

2632. In walking with a lady, you are not bound to recognize gentlemen with whom she is not acquainted, nor have they, in such a case, any right to salute, much less to speak to you.

2633. Whenever or wherever you stand, to converse with a lady, or while handing her into or out of a carriage, keep your hat in your hand.

2634. Should her shoe become unlaced, or her dress in any manner disordered, fail not to apprize her of it, respectfully, and offer your assistance. A gentleman may hook a dress or lace a shoe with perfect propriety, and should be able to do so gracefully.

2635. Whether with a lady or gentleman, a street talk should be a short one; and in either case, when you have passed the customary compliments, if you wish to continue the conversation, you must say, "Permit me to accompany you."

2636. Don't sing, hum, whistle, or talk to yourself, in walking. Endeavor, besides being well dressed, to have a calm good-natured countenance. A scowl always begets wrinkles.

2637. It is best not to smoke at all in public, and none but a ruffian in grain will inflict upon society the odor of a bad cigar, or that of any kind on ladies.

2638. Ladies are not allowed, upon ordinary occasions, to take the arm of any one but a relative or an accepted lover in the street, and in the day time; but in the evening--in the fields, or in a crowd, wherever she may need protection--she should not refuse it.

2639. The lady should pass her hand over the gentleman's arm merely, but should not walk at arm's length apart, as country girls sometimes do.

DINNER PARTIES.

2640. We will begin with the invitation, the reply to which you will make at once, for obvious reasons, and address it to the mistress of the house.

2641. If you accept, arrive at the house very punctually, not too late nor too early, both are inconvenient, but the latter irreparable. Get there, therefore, a little before the time, and wait till the precise moment before knocking.

2642. If you arrive by some accident a great deal too late, do not disturb the party by going in; send your card and an apology from some neighboring place.

2643. The host, if attentive, will point out to gentlemen the ladies whom he wishes them to conduct to table--always follow his directions.

2644. If either at dinner or at supper he should offer you the place of honor, never refuse it. To do so, as some do, is to show a pretended modesty; it keeps the rest of the company standing, and is vulgar in the extreme.

2645. The great requisites in the office of host are to be a good carver (if they carve at table), a calm temper, and a wish to place every one perfectly at his ease.

2646. The company should be so arranged that each lady will have some gentleman at her side, to assist her. Of course, it is every gentleman's duty, first of all to see that ladies near him are attended to.

2647. The lady of the house sits at the head of the table, and the gentleman opposite, at the foot. The place of honor for gentlemen, is on each side of the mistress of the house--for ladies, on each side of the master.

2648. When napkins are provided, they are at once carefully unfolded, and laid on the knees.

2649. Observe, if grace is to be said, and keep a proper decorum. If soup is served, take a piece of bread in the left hand, and the spoon in the right, and sip noiselessly from the side of the spoon.

2650. Do not take two plates of the same kind of soup, and never tip up the plate.

2651. When regular courses are served, the next dish is fish. If silver or wide-pronged forks are used, eat with the fork in the right hand--the knife is unnecessary.

2652. If dishes are carved by the servants, they must be taken to a sideboard from the proper position on the table, as they are required.

2653. Take whatever is given you if you intend to eat it; do not offer it to your neighbor, and begin at once to eat. The stiff formality of waiting till, as it were, all have a fair start, is vulgar in the extreme.

2654. Attend to the wants of the lady who sits next to you, but do not watch her plate or use any offensive vulgarism.

2655. The host should never recommend or eulogize any particular dish; his guests will take it for granted that any thing found at his table is excellent.

2656. The host must not relinquish his knife or fork till his guests have finished.

2657. It is not usual to drink wine with any of the company present; if you, however, find it the custom where you dine, adopt it at once. Champagne is drunk between the meats and the dessert.

2658. Never address a servant, nor ever speak of one at dinner.

2659. Should a gentleman send you wine at a public table, or ask the honor of a glass with you, observe when he raises his glass, and do the same, bowing, whether you drink or not.

2660. As a general rule, in helping any one at table, never use a knife when you can use a spoon.

2661. If at dinner you are requested to help any one to sauce, do not pour it over the meat or vegetables, but on one side.

2662. If you should have to carve and help a joint, do not load a person's plate--it is vulgar; also in serving soup, one ladleful to each plate is sufficient.

2663. Eat peas with a dessert spoon, and curry also. Tarts and puddings are to be eaten with a spoon.

2664. After the dinner, a rose-water dish is passed round; dip a corner of your napkin in it, and refresh your mouth and hands. Finger-glasses are not in vogue.

2665. Be careful not to drink too much wine; and join the ladies in the drawing-room as quickly as possible.

2666. Ladies, although allowed a great latitude of dress at dinner-parties, should never be extravagantly fine.

BALLS AND EVENING PARTIES.

2667. An invitation to a ball should be given at least a week beforehand.

2668. Upon entering, first address the lady of the house; and after her, the nearest acquaintances you may recognize in the house.

2669. If you introduce a friend, make him acquainted with the names of the chief persons present. But first present him to the lady of the house, and to the host.

2670. Appear in full dress.

2671. Always wear gloves.

2672. Do not wear rings on the outside of your gloves.

2673. Avoid an excess of jewelry.

2674. Do not select the same partner frequently.

2675. Distribute your attention as much as possible.

2676. Pay respectful attention to elderly persons.

2677. Be cordial when serving refreshments, but not importunate.

2678. If there are more dancers than the room will accommodate, do not join in every dance.

2679. In leaving a large party, it is unnecessary to bid farewell, and improper to do so before the guests.

2680. A Paris card of invitation to an evening party usually implies that you are invited for the season.

2681. The host and hostess should look after their guests, and not confine their attentions. They should, in fact, assist those chiefly who are the least known in the room.

2682. Avoid political and religious discussions. If you have a "hobby," keep it to yourself.

2683. After dancing, conduct your partner to a seat.

2684. Resign her as soon as her next partner advances.

COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE.

2685. No union should be undertaken until both of the contracting parties are fully acquainted with each other's disposition.

2686. If either man or woman are subject to indulge in any foible, or known vice, such as irritability, idleness, love of scandal, drunkenness, or worse, he or she should not marry till that vice is conquered.

2687. When before union there is an unreasonable, absurd, and romantic degree of affection, that marriage will probably be an unhappy one.

2688. When a woman knows a man to be addicted to any known self-indulgence, or to that which the world too frequently calls pleasure, she should discountenance him.

2689. Position in society is frequently reckoned as more than an equivalent for riches. Yet neither a wise man nor woman will seek to marry greatly out of their sphere of life.

2690. When you are going to marry, do not expect more from life than life will afford.

2691. For acquirements, look more to solid knowledge, either in wife or husband, than to accomplishments.

2692. When a young man admires a lady, and thinks her society necessary to his happiness, it is proper, before committing himself, or inducing the object of his admiration to do so, to apply to her parents or guardians for permission to address her; this is a becoming mark of respect, and the circumstances must be very peculiar, which would justify a deviation from this course.

2693. Young men frequently amuse themselves by playing with the feelings of young women. They visit them often, they walk with them, they pay them divers attentions, and after giving them an idea that they are attached to them, they either leave them, or, what is worse, never come to an explanation of their sentiments. This is to act the character of a "dangler," a character truly dastardly and infamous.

2694. In case of rejection, the gentleman should at once, unless under peculiar circumstances, abstain from his suit. Unless he does so, his conduct becomes persecuting.

2695. Ladies should never, by the slightest familiarity, encourage any one whom they would object to marry.

2696. Rejection should be courteous, definite, and decisive; but couched in a manner that, whilst it deprives the suitor of hope, inflicts no pain.

2697. Engaged people should avoid compliments in company.

2698. A proposal being made, the lady should first signify her own willingness, and then refer her suitor to her parents.

2699. In public, or in company, the conduct of lovers should be guarded. Avoid all show of extreme preference. Neither caress nor chide before others.

2700. Letters, trinkets, and presents, when engagements are broken off, are always returned by both parties.

2701. Long engagements are dangerous.

2702. If a gentleman does not intend to marry a lady, he has no right to make his attentions peculiar. He should consider her true interest, and he would not trifle with her affections.

2703. Love's Telegraph.--If a gentleman wants a wife, he wears a ring on the first finger of the left hand; if he is engaged, he wears it on the second finger; if married, on the third; and on the fourth, if he never intends to be married.

2704. When a lady is not engaged, she wears a hoop or diamond on her first finger; if engaged, on the second; if married, on the third; and on the fourth, if she intends to die a maid.

2705. When a gentleman presents a fan, flower, or trinket, to a lady with the left hand, this on his part, is an overture of regard; should she receive it with the left hand, it is considered as an acceptance of his esteem; but if with the right hand, it is a refusal of the offer.

2706. Thus, by a few simple tokens, explained by rule, the passion of love is expressed: and, through the medium of the telegraph, the most timid and diffident man may, without difficulty, communicate his sentiments of regard to a lady, and in case his offer should be refused, avoid experiencing the mortification of an explicit refusal.

2707. Marriage Ceremony.--Weddings are everywhere accompanied with some degree of ceremony, and are usually considered as occasions of festivity.

2708. The preliminaries having been arranged by the contracting parties, and the lady having named the happy day, preparations are made for the wedding.

2709. Those who belong to the Episcopal and Roman Catholic churches are usually married at church, in the morning, and by the prescribed forms.

2710. In some cases there is a wedding-party given in the evening; in others, the happy couple make a short wedding tour, and issue cards of invitation on their return.

2711. Where a wedding is celebrated in the usual forms, cards of invitation are issued at least a week beforehand.

2712. The hour selected is usually eight o'clock, P. M.

2713. Wedding cakes, wines, and other refreshments are provided by the bride and her friends for the occasion.

2714. The bride is usually dressed in pure white--she wears a white vail, and her head is crowned with a wreath of white flowers, usually artificial; and orange blossoms are preferred.

2715. She should wear no ornaments but such as her intended husband or her father may present her for the occasion--certainly no gift, if any such were retained, of any former sweetheart.

2716. The bridesmaid, or bridesmaids, if there be two, or more, are generally younger than the bride, and should also be dressed in white, but more simply.

2717. The bridegroom must be in full dress, that is, he must wear a dress coat, which if he pleases, may be faced with white satin; a white satin vest, black pantaloons, and dress boots or pumps, black silk stockings, and white kid gloves, and a white cravat.

2718. The bridegroom is attended by one or two, or more, groomsmen, who should be dressed in a similar manner.

2719. It is the duty of the bridesmaids to assist in dressing the bride, and making the necessary preparations for the entertainment of the guests.

2720. The chief groomsman engages the clergyman or magistrate, and upon his arrival introduces him to the bride and bridegroom, and the friends of the parties.

2721. The invited guests, upon their arrival, are received as at other parties, and after visiting the dressing-rooms, and arranging their toilettes, they proceed to the room where the ceremony is to be performed.

2722. In some cases the marriage is performed before the arrival of the guests.

2723. When the hour for the ceremony has arrived, and all things are ready, the wedding party, consisting of the happy couple, with the bridesmaids and groomsmen, walk into the room arm in arm.

2724. The groomsmen, each attending the bridesmaids, precede the bride and bridegroom, and take their position at the head of the room, which is usually the end furthest from the entrance; the bride standing facing the assembly on the left of the bridegroom--the bridesmaids taking their position at her left, and the groomsmen at the right of the bridegroom.

2725. The principal groomsman now formally introduces the clergyman or magistrate to the bride and bridegroom, and he proceeds to perform the marriage ceremony; if a ring is to be used, the bridegroom procures a plain gold one, previously taking some means to have it of the proper size.

2726. As soon as the ceremony is over, and the bridegroom has kissed the bride, the clergyman or magistrate shakes hands with the bride, saluting her by her newly-acquired name, as Mrs. ----, and wishes them joy, prosperity and happiness.

2727. Then the groomsmen and bridesmaids do the same; and then the principal groomsmen brings to them the other persons in the room, commencing with the parents and relatives of the parties, the bride's relatives having precedence, and ladies being accompanied by gentlemen.

2728. In this manner, all present are expected to make their salutations and congratulations, first to the newly-married couple, and then to their parents and friends.

2729. And where the wedding ceremony has been performed before the arrival of the guests, they are received near the door, having, of course, first visited the dressing-rooms, and are introduced in the same manner.

2730. The groomsman takes occasion, before the clergyman or magistrate leaves, to privately thank him for his attendance, at the same time placing in his hand the marriage fee, which is wrapped up nicely in paper, and if more than the legal sum, as is frequently the case where the parties are wealthy, it is usually in gold.

2731. The bridegroom, of course, takes an early opportunity to reimburse his groomsman for necessary expenses.

2732. When the presentations and congratulations are over, that is, when the guests have arrived, the bridal party, which till now has kept its position, mingles with the rest of the company, and joins in the dancing or other amusements.

2733. The practice of kissing the bride is not so common as formerly, and in regard to this, the taste of the bridegroom may be consulted, as the rest of the company follow the example of the groomsman; but the parents and very near relatives of the parties, of course, act as affection prompts them.

2734. When the ceremony is performed according to the Protestant Episcopal service, the order of going to church is as follows:

2735. The bride, accompanied by her father, not unfrequently her mother, and uniformly by a bridesmaid, occupies the first carriage.

2736. The father hands out the bride, and leads her to the altar, the mother and bridesmaid following. After them come the other bridesmaids, attended by the groomsmen, if there are more than one.

2737. The bridegroom occupies the last carriage, with the principal groomsman, an intimate friend or brother.

2738. He follows, and stands facing the altar, with the bride at his left hand. The father places himself behind, with the mother, if she attends.

2739. The chief bridesmaid occupies a place on the left of the bride, to hold her gloves and handkerchief, and flowers; her companions range themselves on the left.

2740. Remember to take the ring with you. The fee to a clergyman is according to the fortune of the bridegroom; and a trifle should be given to the sexton.

2741. When the ceremony is concluded, the bride takes the groom's arm, they enter their carriage, and proceed to the breakfast, every one else following.

2742. The order of return from church differs from the above only in the fact that the bride and bridegroom now ride together, the bride being on his left, and a bridesmaid, and a groomsman, or the father of the bride, occupying the front seats of the carriage.

2743. The wedding breakfast having been already prepared, the wedding party return thereto.

2744. If a large party, the bride and bridegroom occupy seats in the centre of the long table, and the two extremities should be presided over by elderly relatives, if possible one from each family.

2745. Every body should endeavor to make the occasion as happy as possible.

2746. After marriage, the bridal party usually travel for a week or two; upon their return, it is customary for the bride to be at home for a few days to receive visits. The first four weeks after marriage, constitute the honeymoon.

2747. You need not retain the whole of your previous acquaintance; those only to whom you send cards, are, after marriage, considered in the circle of your visiting acquaintance.

2748. The parents or friends of the bride usually send the cards to her connections; the bridegroom selects those persons among his former associates whom he wishes to retain as such.

2749. The cards are sometimes united by a silken cord, or white ribbon, to distinguish those of a newly married pair from ordinary visitors; but it is doubtful whether it be in good taste.

2750. A married woman may leave her own or her husband's card in returning a visit; the latter only would be adopted as a resource in the event of her not having her own with her.

2751. Cards should (if belonging to the gentleman) be plain, plainly written or printed, and unglazed and ungilt.

2752. Ladies should have their cards enameled, but, for obvious reasons, the name plain and distinct, so as to catch the eye at once.

2753. When a man marries, it is understood that all former acquaintanceship ends, unless he intimate a desire to renew it, by sending you his own and his wife's card, if near, or by letter, if distant.

2754. If this be neglected, be sure no further intercourse is desired.

2755. In the first place: A bachelor is seldom very particular in the selection of his companions. So long as he is amused, he will associate freely enough with those whose morals and habits would point them out as highly dangerous persons to introduce into the sanctity of domestic life.

2756. Secondly. A married man has the tastes of another to consult; and the friends of the husband may not be equally acceptable to the wife.

2757. Besides, newly-married people may wish to limit the circle of their friends, from commendable motives of economy.

2758. When a man first "sets up" in the world, the burden of an extensive and indiscriminate acquaintance may be felt in various ways.

2759. Many have had cause to regret the weakness of mind which allowed them to plunge into a vortex of gayety and expense they could ill afford, from which they have found it difficult to extricate themselves, and the effects of which have proved a serious evil to them in after life.

2760. When a man is about to be married, he usually gives a dinner to his bachelor friends; which is understood to be their congé unless he choose to renew their acquaintance.

2761. Wedding-rings.--The custom of wearing wedding-rings appears to have taken its rise among the Romans.

2762. Before the celebration of their nuptials, there was a meeting of friends at the house of the lady's father to settle articles of the marriage contract, when it was agreed that the dowry should be paid down on the wedding-day or soon after.

2763. On this occasion, there was commonly a feast, at the conclusion of which the man gave to the woman as a pledge, a ring, which she put on the fourth finger of her left hand, because it was believed that a nerve reached thence to the heart, and a day was then named for the marriage.

2764. Wedding cakes.--Four pounds of fine flour, well dried, four pounds of fresh butter, two pounds of loaf sugar, a quarter of a pound of mace pounded and sifted fine, the same of nutmegs.

2765. To every pound of flour add eight eggs; wash four pounds of currants; let them be well picked and dried before the fire; blanch a pound of sweet almonds, and cut them lengthwise very thin; a pound of citron, one pound of candied orange, the same of candied lemon; half a pint of brandy.

2766. When these are made ready, work the butter with your hand to a cream, then beat in your sugar, a quarter of an hour, beat the whites of your eggs to a very strong froth; mix them with your sugar and butter; beat your eggs half an hour at least, and mix them with your cake; then put in your flour, mace and nutmeg; keep beating it well till your oven is ready--pour in the brandy, and beat the currants and almonds lightly in.

2767. Tie three sheets of white paper round the bottom of your hoop to keep it from running out; rub it well with butter, put in your cake, lay the sweetmeats in layers, with cake between each layer, and after it is risen and colored, cover it with paper before your oven is stopped up; it will require three hours to bake properly.

2768. Almond Icing for Wedding Cake.--Beat the whites of three eggs to a strong froth; beat a pint of Jordan almonds very fine with rose-water; mix them, with the eggs, lightly together; put in by degrees a pound of common loaf sugar in powder.

2769. When the cake is baked enough, take it out, and lay it on the icing; then put it in to brown.

2770. After Marriage.--The power of a wife for good or evil, is irresistible. Home must be the seat of happiness, or it must be for ever unknown.

2771. A good wife is to a man, wisdom and courage, and strength and endurance.

2772. A bad wife is confusion, weakness, discomfiture, and despair.

2773. No condition is hopeless where the wife possesses firmness, decision, and economy.

2774. There is no outward prosperity which can counteract indolence, extravagance, and folly at home. No spirit can long endure bad domestic influence.

2775. Man is strong, but his heart is not adamant. He delights in enterprise and action; but to sustain him he needs a tranquil mind, and a whole heart. He needs his moral force in the conflicts of the world.

2776. To recover his equanimity and composure, home must be to him a place of repose, of peace, of cheerfulness, of comfort; and his soul renews its strength again, and goes forth with fresh vigor to encounter the labor and troubles of life.

2777. But if at home he finds no rest, and is there met with bad temper, sullenness, or gloom, or is assailed by discontent or complaint, hope vanishes, and he sinks into despair.

2778. A wife must learn, to form her husband's happiness, in what direction the secret lies; she must not cherish his weaknesses by working upon them; she must not rashly run counter to his prejudices; her motto must be, never to irritate.

2779. She must study never to draw largely on the small stock of patience in a man's nature, nor to increase his obstinacy by trying to drive him; never, never, if possible, to have scenes.

2780. We doubt much if a real quarrel, even made up, does not loosen the bond between man and wife, and sometimes, unless the affection of both be very sincere, lastingly.

2781. If irritation should occur, a woman must expect to hear from most men a strength and vehemence of language far more than the occasion requires. Mild, as well as stern men, are prone to this exaggeration of language; let not a woman be tempted to say any thing sarcastic or violent in retaliation. The bitterest repentance must needs follow if she do.

2782. Men frequently forget what they have said, but seldom what is uttered by their wives. They are grateful, too, for forbearance in such cases; for, whilst asserting most loudly that they are right, they are often conscious that they are wrong.

2783. Give a little time, as the greatest boon you can bestow, to the irritated feelings of your husband.

2784. It is astonishing how much the cheerfulness of a wife contributes to the happiness of home.

2785. She is the sun--the centre of a domestic system, and her children are like planets around her, reflecting her rays.

2786. How merry the little ones look when the mother is joyous and good-tempered; and how easily and pleasantly her household labors are overcome!

2787. How to Treat a Wife.--First, get a wife; secondly, be patient.

2788. You may have great trials and perplexities in your business with the world, but do not carry to your home a clouded or contracted brow.

2789. Your wife may have had many trials, which, though of less magnitude, may have been as hard to bear.

2790. A kind, conciliating word, a tender look, will do wonders in chasing from her brow all clouds of gloom.

2791. You encounter difficulties in the open air, fanned by heaven's cool breezes; but your wife is often shut in from these healthful influences, and her health fails, and her spirits lose their elasticity.

2792. But oh! bear with her; she has trials and sorrows to which you are a stranger, but which your tenderness can deprive of all their anguish.

2793. Notice kindly her little attentions and efforts to promote your comfort.

2794. Do not treat her with indifference, if you would not sear and palsy her heart, which, watered by kindness, would, to the latest day of your existence, throb with sincere and constant affection.

2795. Sometimes yield your wishes to hers. She has preferences as strong as you, and it may be just as trying to yield her choice as to you.

2796. Do you find it hard to yield sometimes? Think you it is not difficult for her to give up always?

2797. If you never yield to her wishes, there is danger that she will think you are selfish, and care only for yourself, and with such feelings she can not love as she might.

2798. Again, show yourself manly, so that your wife can look up to you and feel that you will act nobly, and that she can confide in your judgment.

2799. You can hardly imagine how refreshing it is to occasionally call up the recollection of your courting days.

2800. How tediously the hours rolled away prior to the appointed time of meeting; how swift they seemed to fly, when met; how fond was the first greeting; how tender the last embrace; how fervent were your vows; how vivid your dreams of future happiness, when, returning to your home, you felt yourself secure in the confessed love of the object of your warm affections.

2801. Is your dream realized?--are you as happy as you expected?

2802. Why not? Consider whether as a husband you are as fervent and constant as you were when a lover.

2803. Remember that the wife's claims to your unremitting regard--great before marriage, are now exalted to a much higher degree.

2804. She has left the world for you--the home of her childhood, the fireside of her parents, their watchful care and sweet intercourse have all been yielded up for you.

2805. Look then most jealously upon all that may tend to attract you from home, and to weaken that union upon which your temporal happiness mainly depends; and believe that in the solemn relationship of husband is to be found one of the best guarantees for man's honor and happiness.

2806. When once a man has established a home, his most important duties have fairly begun.

2807. The errors of youth may be overlooked; want of purpose, and even of honor, in his earlier days, may be forgotten.

2808. But from the moment of his marriage he begins to write his indelible history; not by pen and ink, but by actions--by which he must ever afterward be reported and judged.

2809. His conduct at home; his solicitude for his family; the training of his children; his devotion to his wife; his regard for the interests of eternity, are his record.

2810. Seek to govern your own household by the display of high moral excellence.

2811. A domineering spirit--a fault-finding petulance--impatience of trifling delays--and the exhibition of unworthy passions at the slightest provocation, can add no laurel to your own "lordly" brow, impart no sweetness to home, and call forth no respect from those by whom you may be surrounded.

2812. It is one thing to be a master--another thing to be a man. The latter should be the husband's aspiration; for he who can not govern himself is ill-qualified to govern another.

OUR HOUSE.

2813. If a young married couple intend to furnish a house, we say to them--Attend to these rules.

2814. Do not spend all your money, be it much or little. Do not let the beauty of this thing, and the cheapness of that, tempt you to buy unnecessary articles.

2815. Buy merely enough to get along with at first. It is only by experience that you can tell what will be the wants of your family.

2816. If you spend all your money, you will find you have purchased many things you do not want, and have no means left to get many things which you do want.

2817. If you have enough, and more than enough, to get every thing suitable to your situation, do not think you must spend it all, merely because you happen to have it.

2818. Begin humbly. As riches increase, it is easy and pleasant to increase in comforts; but it is always painful and inconvenient to decrease. After all, these things are viewed in their proper light by the truly judicious and respectable.

2819. Neatness, tastefulness, and good sense may be shown in the management of a small household, and the arrangement of a little furniture, as well as upon a larger scale; and these qualities are always praised, and always treated with respect and attention.

2820. The consideration which many purchase by living beyond their income, and, of course, living upon others, is not worth the trouble it costs.

2821. The glare there is about this false and wicked parade is deceptive: it does not, in fact, procure a man valuable friends, or extensive influence.

2822. If the house is rented.--Before taking a house, be careful to calculate that the rent is not too high in proportion to your means; for remember that the rent is a claim which must be paid with but little delay, and that the landlord has greater power over your property than any other creditor.

2823. Having determined the amount of rent which you can afford to pay, be careful to select the best house which can be obtained for that sum. And in making that selection, let the following matters be carefully considered:

2824. First.--Carefully regard the healthfulness of the situation. Avoid the neighborhood of graveyards, and of factories giving forth unhealthy vapors; avoid low and damp districts, the course of canals, and localities of reservoirs of water, gas-works, &c.; make inquiries as to the drainage of the neighborhood, and inspect the drainage and water supply of the premises.

2825. A house standing on an incline is likely to be better drained than one standing upon the summit of a hill, or on a level below a hill.

2826. Endeavor to obtain a position where the direct sun-light falls upon the house, for this is absolutely necessary to health; and give preference to a house the openings of which are sheltered from the north and east winds.

2827. Second.--Consider the distance of the house from your place of occupation; and also its relation to provision markets, and the prices that prevail in the neighborhood.

2828. Having considered these material and leading features, examine the house in detail, carefully looking into its state of repair.

2829. Notice the windows that are broken; whether the chimneys smoke; whether they have been recently swept; whether the paper on the walls is damaged, especially in the lower parts, and the corners by the skirtings; whether the locks, bolts, handles of doors, and window-fastenings are in proper condition; make a list of the fixtures.

2830. Ascertain whether all rent and taxes were paid up by the previous tenant, and whether the party from whom you take the house is the original landlord, or his agent or tenant.

2831. And do not commit yourself by the signing of any agreement until you are satisfied upon all these points, and see that all has been done which the landlord had undertaken.

2832. In the country, the married couple usually go to a house of their own.

2833. Our House!--It is a phrase of great importance, and gives dignity to the newly married.

2834. Society.--Social intercourse is necessary to our happiness and improvement.

2835. Conversation is the medium by which social intercourse is maintained.

2836. Style in conversation is as important, and as capable of cultivation, as style in writing. The manner of saying things is what gives them their value.

2837. Avoid provincialisms in your language and pronunciation. Webster is the standard for pronouncing in the best society in the United States.

2838. Under favorable circumstances, and among persons who know how to train a conversation, there are few if any amusements more grateful to the human mind.

2839. The object of conversation is to entertain and amuse. To be agreeable you must learn to be a good listener. A man who monopolizes a conversation is a bore, no matter how great his knowledge.

2840. Never get into a dispute. State your opinions, but do not argue them.

2841. Do not contradict; and above all, never offend by correcting mistakes or inaccuracies of fact or expression.

2842. Never lose temper--never notice a slight--never seem conscious of an affront, unless it is of a gross character, and then punish it at once.

2843. You can never quarrel in the presence of ladies, but a personal indignity may be avenged anywhere.

2844. Never talk of people by hints, slurs, innuendos, and such mean devices. If you have any thing to say, out with it. Nothing charms more than candor, when united with good breeding.

2845. Do not call people by their names, in speaking to them. In speaking of your own children, never "Master" and "Miss" them--in speaking to other people of theirs, never neglect to do so.

2846. Be very careful in speaking of subjects upon which you are not acquainted.

2847. Much is to be learned by confessing your ignorance--nothing can be gained by pretending to knowledge which you do not possess.

2848. Never tell long stories. Avoid all common slang phrases and pet words.

2849. Of all things, don't attempt to be too fine. Use good honest English--and common words for common things.

2850. Good sense, sound and varied information, are as necessary as confidence, to enable a man to converse well.

2851. Every one knows something which he is willing to tell, and which any other that he is in company with wishes to know, or which if known to him, would be amusing or useful.

2852. To be a skillful conversationist, one's eyes and ears should be busy; nothing should escape his observation. His memory should be a good one, and he should have a good-natured willingness to please and to be pleased.

2853. Avoid a loud tone, particularly in speaking to ladies.

2854. By observing men of the world, you will perceive that their voices, as it were, involuntarily assume a softness as they address the sex; this is one of the most obvious proofs of an intimacy with good society.

2855. Never attempt to occupy the attention of a company for a long time; unless your conversation is very brilliant, it must become very tiresome.

2856. Be not partial to theorizing, or your conversation will assume the style of speech-making, which is intolerable.

2857. Badinage is pleasant, but it may be dangerous; stupid people may imagine you are ridiculing them, and the stupid are the most assiduous enemies.

2858. Abjure punning; it has been aptly designated "the wit of fools." Gentlemen never pun.

2859. A tattler is a most contemptible character, uniting in person either excessive ignorance, folly, and vanity, or the extremes of meanness, mischief and malignity.

2860. Women ordinarily slander more from vanity than vice--men, from jealousy than malignity.

2861. Without intending mischief, many persons do much by repeating conversations from one house to another.

2862. A man should never permit himself to lose his temper in society, nor show that he has taken offense at any supposed slight--it places him in a disadvantageous position--betraying an absence of self-respect, or at the least of self-possession.

2863. If, upon the entrance of a visitor, you continue a conversation begun before, you should always explain the subject to the new-comer.

2864. There cannot be a custom more vulgar or offensive than that of taking a person aside to whisper in a room with company, yet this rudeness is of frequent occurrence--and that with persons who ought to know better.

2865. Questions upon that which does not immediately concern you, are impertinent.

2866. Be well read, for the sake of the general company and the ladies, in the literature of the day. You will, thereby, enlarge the regions of pleasurable talk. Besides, it is often necessary.

2867. Hazlitt, who had entertained an unfounded prejudice against Dickens's works when they were first written, confesses that at last he was obliged to read them, because he could not enter a mixed company without hearing them admired and quoted.

2868. Always avoid any thing like absence of mind. Some fops assume this, but it is silly and contemptible.

2869. In order to put everybody in the company at ease, we should adopt the manners and customs of those with whom we happen for the time to consort.

2870. People who, having traveled, adopt, as many do, foreign phraseology, idiom, or accent, are excessively vulgar.

2871. Be especially careful, in a mixed company, whom you satirize.

2872. Swearing, which formerly pervaded every rank of society, is now to be chiefly found in a very low and uninstructed class; it is, in fact, a vulgar and proscribed mode of speech.

2873. To those who are guilty of it, for these reasons it is only necessary to point out, that no well-informed person can be at the least loss, with the genuine words of the English language, to express all legitimate ideas and feelings; and that to use either profane or slang words is, at the least, the indication of a low taste and inferior understanding.

2874. Never presume to cultivate an over-familiarity of manner, which is always offensive; rather be reserved--even to your best friends. If you proceed with members of your family to a party, do not be seen talking with them.

2875. Try to make every one at their ease; and if you find other people are not so well bred as you could wish, take the will for the deed, and never show, nor attempt to show, your disgust at them.

2876. Try heartily to please everybody, and you will be pleased yourself; and, besides this, render yourself the most agreeable person in the room.

2877. Should you chance to be thrown into the company of what the man in the farce calls a real live lord, do not interlard your talk with "my lord," and "your lordship." Sir is sufficient, after once addressing him as "my lord," to show that you are acquainted with his rank. Madam is to be used to a lady of title, to whom also the previous rule applies.

2878. There are many talkers, but few who know how to converse agreeably.

2879. Speak distinctly, neither too rapidly nor too slowly.

2880. Accommodate the pitch of your voice to the hearing of the person with whom you are conversing.

2881. Never speak with your mouth full.

2882. Tell your jokes and laugh afterward.

2883. Dispense with superfluous words--such as "Well, I should think."

2884. In society we sometimes meet opionated, selfish people, who fancy they know every thing, when in reality they know nothing!

2885. The real end of acquiring a polite manner is to make yourself pleasing, and your company acceptable to all. This must be done by little sacrifices--by curbing, if you be plagued with it, your desire to engross the conversation, or, on the contrary, breaking through your habitual taciturnity.

2886. The woman who wishes her conversation to be agreeable, will avoid conceit or affectation, and laughter which is not natural and spontaneous.

2887. Her language will be easy and unstudied, marked by a graceful carelessness, which, at the same time, never oversteps the limits of propriety.

2888. Her lips will readily yield to a pleasant smile; she will not love to hear herself talk; her tones will bear the impress of sincerity, and her eyes kindle with animation, as she speaks.

2889. The art of pleasing is, in truth, the very soul of good breeding; for the precise object of the latter is to render us agreeable to all with whom we associate; to make us, at the same time, esteemed and loved.

2890. We need scarcely advert to the rudeness of interrupting any one who is speaking, or to the impropriety of pushing, to its full extent, a discussion which has become unpleasant.

2891. Some men have a mania for Greek and Latin quotations; this is peculiarly to be avoided. It is like pulling up the stones from a tomb wherewith to kill the living. Nothing is more wearisome than pedantry.

2892. If you feel your intellectual superiority to any one with whom you are conversing, do not seek to bear him down; it would be an inglorious triumph, and a breach of good manners.

2893. Beware, too, of speaking lightly of subjects which bear a sacred character.

2894. Witlings occasionally gain a reputation in society; but nothing is more insipid and in worse taste than their conceited harangues and self-sufficient air.

2895. It is a common idea that the art of writing and the art of conversation are one; this is a great mistake. A man of genius may be a very dull talker.

2896. The two grand modes of making your conversation interesting, are to enliven it by recitals calculated to affect and impress your hearers, and to intersperse it with anecdotes and smart things.

2897. It follows that all matter of offense in conversation should be avoided. The self-love of others is to be respected.

2898. Therefore, no one is tolerated who makes himself the subject of his own commendation, nor who disregards the feelings of those whom he addresses.

2899. There is as much demand for politeness and civility in conversation as in any other department of social intercourse.

2900. One who rudely interrupts another, does much the same thing as though he should, when walking with another, impertinently thrust himself before his companion, and stop his progress.

2901. Rules of Conduct.--The following excellent rules are from the diary of Mrs. Fry:--

2902. 1. Never lose any time; I do not think that lost which is spent in amusement or recreation, some time every day; but always be in the habit of being employed.

2903. 2. Never err the least in truth.

2904. 3. Never say any ill thing of a person when thou canst say a good thing of him; not only speak charitably, but feel so.

2905. 4. Never be irritable or unkind to any body.

2906. 5. Never indulge thyself in luxuries that are not necessary.

2907. 6. Do all things with consideration; and, when thy path to act right is most difficult, feel confidence in that Power alone which is able to assist thee, and exert thy own powers as far as they go.

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