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COMMON JOYS.

THE STRANGE CLAIMANT; OR,…

MINIE, THE MISER'S DAUGHTER.

[No title]

LADIES' COLUMN.

USEFUL HINTS.I

THE OLD SEXTON.

[No title]

/URIETIE*.I

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/URIETIE*. I A SOLWN Tkwsr.—-Everyone should consider him- self entrusted, not only with his own conduct, but with that of others. OBLIVIOtTs.-People are commonly so employed in pointing out faults in those before them as to forget that someone behind may at the same time be descant- ing on their own. PERSONAL INFLUENCE. Every human being in- fluences his companion for good or for evil. Not the meanest creature on earth lives without touching someone, and in that touch influencing, moulding shaping to better ends or to worse. Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul, and the heart of man knoweth none I more fragrant; while its opponent-ingratitude-is a deadly weed, not only poisoning in itself, but impreg- nating the very atmosphere in which it grows with foetid vapours. The Chinese women are as much slaves of fashion as European ladies. The higher classes of Chinese ladies are taught, like ours, to control their voices— that it is not right to speak noisily. They study attitudes and effects before their mirrors, and they bandage their feet for the same reason that our girls tighten their waists—in order to produce elegance and gentility of form. SWEET DECKINGS.—This fashionable bracelets worn by Transatlantic belles this season must be serious weights to the wrist. Oriental bangles are the favourite style, and appended from them is a miscel- laneous collection of miniature articles in gold or silver, relieved by black and red enamel, such as kettles, opera-glasses, tea-pots, goblets, skulls with ruby or diamond eyes, mice, horses, dogs, eggs, keys, scissors, shoes, cupids, and harlequins, columbines, clowns, and pantaloons, in striped enamel, or silver encrusted with gems. The necklace to match is made of Japanese amber, with a transparent locket contain- ing a fly, apparently alive. A YOUTHFUL POLITICIAN'S AMBITION. — In the memoirs of Lord Melbourne, recently published, the following anecdote of Lord Beaconsfield is given. When a young man, and before he had entered Par- liament, he met at Mrs. Norton's Lord Melbourne, then Home Secretary, who talked with him for a long time. Lord Melbourne was attracted more and more as he listened to the uncommonplace language and spirit of the youthful politician, and thought to him- self that he would be worth serving. Abruptly, but with a certain tone of kindness which took away an air of assumption, he said, Well, now, tell me, what do you want to be P" The quiet gravity of the reply fairly startled him—"I want to be Prime Minister." BRBA -MAXMG.-It is curious to trace the various modes that have been used for leavening or raising bread. The Romans employed millet for leaven, mixed with a sweet wine, and allowed it to ferment for one year; wheat bran also was used, soaked for three days in sweet wine and dried in the sun, and barley paste heated on red-hot coals and then put into vessels till it became sour. The Gauls and Spaniards, who were celebrated for their light bread, having made a kind of frumenty from wheat, used the scum to raise the dough. Ale yeast is chiefly used now in bread-mak- ing, but this can be obtained only in the neighbour- hood of large breweries, and it will keep but a day or two. There is a great import of dried yeast from Holland and Germany, the average annual receipts being 105,500 cwt., valued at over £ 407,000. Of late the various baking-powders have in a great measure superseded the above, and in many cases haye brought about wonderful improvements. How THE RUSSIAN PEASANT LivM.—The houses of the Russian peasantry are built of logs, and are thoroughly filthy, so that no civilized person could eat or sleep in them if he wished. A fresh egg was the only thing that seemed uncontaminated. The peasant dwells with horses and cattle under the same roof, he above and they below, so that the odour of the stable and every other imaginable vile smell per- meates the whole interior. One not accustomed to that way of living cannot stay within doors, much less eat their food. Their household furniture is of the most primitive kind, so also their farming imple- ments. Indeed, everything makes you feel that you are carried back to the dark ages. The people live in villages altogether, each family having land appor- tioned to them, according to their numbers, by the village commune or assembly, which also decides as to the rotation of crops and the times of gathering them. Some of the country through which we passed seemed quite fertile, but the greater part has a barren appear- ance. A STRANGE TRADITION. — Among the Seminole Indians there is a singular tradition regarding the white man's origin and superiority. They say that when the Great Spirit made the earth he also made three men, all of whom were fair-complexioned, and that after making them he led them to the margin x>f a small lake and bade them leap in and wash. One obeyed, and came out purer and fairer than before; the second hesitated a moment, during which time the water, agitated by the first, had become muddled, and when he bathed he came up copper-coloured; the third did not leap until the water became black with mud, and he came out dark in colour. Then the Great Spirit laid before them three packages, and out of pity for his misfortune in colour gave the black man first choice. He took hold of each of the packages, and, having felt the weight, chose the heaviest; the copper-coloured man chose the next heaviest, leaving the white man the lightest. When the packages were opened, the first was found to contain spades, hoes, and all the implements of labour; the second en- wrapped hunting, fishing, and warlike apparatus; the third gave the white man pens, ink, and paper, the engine of the mind, the means of mutual mental im- provement, the social link of humanity, the foundation of the white man's superiority. „ AN EPISCOPAL WIG.-The first episcopal effort put forth by Bishop Blomfield was an attempt to persuade the king to dispense with wigs on the heads of bishops. But George IV. was conservative, and would not permit the discontinuance of the episcopal wig, and, in fact, it was not dispensed with until the reign of William IV., when the abolition of the troublesome clerical environment was brought about by Sir George Sinclair, the intimate friend of William IV. Sir George was staying with the king on a visit at Brighton, when he went up to Fulham Palace to visit Dr. Blomfield after his elevation to the bishopric of London. He asked the bishop whether he could deliver any message from him to the king. The bishop jocularly replied, "You may present my duty to his Majesty, and say that at this tropical season I find my episcopal wig a serious incumbrance, and I could wish that he would not consider me guilty of a breach of court-etiquette if induced to lay it aside." Sir George repeated the message at dinner for the amusement of the king, who however took it up seriously, and replied, Tell the bishop he is not to wear a wig on my account; I dislike it as much as he does, and should be glad to see the whole bench wear their own hair." Bishop Blomfield took the hint, other bishops followed his example, and so the wig was discontinued. WHAT IS To BE WILL BB.-A soldier in Crom- well's army, passing with his comrades over St. Mary's Bridge, Derby, observed a young girl ladling water from the river. In the spirit of frolic and mis- chief, he threw a large stone, intending it should startle her by making a sudden splash. But it struck her on the head, and made a hideous wound. She fell into the river. The soldier did not wait to see that she was rescued. He galloped on, feeling that he had been guilty of a wanton murder. The unknown con- sequence of his folly preyed upon his mind. His con- science was always upbraiding him. Years after, when discharged from the army, he settled down in Derby. He took a public-house in Bridegate, and, after a short acquaintance with a woman of suitable age, got married. Very soon after he saw his wife combing her hair, and inquired how she got that scar which disfigured one side of her head. She replied, Some wretch of a soldier had once nearly killed her with a stone, but if ever she caught that man she would pay him off for it." It is not recorded how she punished her husband when he confessed being her assailant, or how great was his relief when the haunting thought of a wanton murder was removed from his mind. He was one of the five troopers who road under the oak where Charles was hidden at Boscobel. From this soldier was descended Mr. Hutton, a well-known antiquary of Derby, who re- lated the above anecdote. OLD OMENS.—Even now there exist people who be- lieve in omens. To enumerate the number in which our forefathers believed would be impossible; but we give one or two which may be amusing to the young people. Stumbling in going downstairs or going out in the morning is very unlucky. It is a sign of ill luck to lay one's knife and fork crosswise; for sweet- hearts to interchange knives, as it will cut away their love; to present anybody with a knife, scissors, razor, or any sharp instrument. To avoid ill consequence, a pin, a farthing, or some trifling recompense, must be given in return. To find a knife or razor is un- lucky. That it is ill luck to find money, and worse to keep it, may seem paradoxical to many.^ It is lucky to find four-leaved clover, a piece of iron, an old, horseshoe. Moles are indicative of good or bad for- tune, according to their position on the body. A mole against the heart denotes wickedness on the knee, a wealthy wife; on the nose, a traveller; on the throat, riches; on tW flower jaw of a woman, sorrow and pain; in'the middle of the forehead, a discourteous and cruel mind; on the right side of the forehead, command, esteem, and honour; on the left, near hair, misery; on the left, near middle of forehead, persecu- tions from superior; on the lip, a great eater; on the chin, riches; on the ear, riches and respect; on the right breast, poverty; near the bottom of nostrils, good" luck; on left foot, rashness; right foot, wis- dom on the wrist or hand, an ingenuous mind; near side of chin, an amiable disposition; many moles be- tween wrist and elbow, many crosses which will end in prosperity. LET IN ynE SLNLISTR.—Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher, in an article in the Christian Union, on mistakes in our houses, specifies "the exclusion of sunlight" as one. She says :,—" We wish the impor- tance of admitting- the light of the sun freely, as well as building these early and late fires, could be properly impressed upon our housekeepers. No article of furnitura should ever be brought to our homes too good or too delicate for the sun to see all day long. His presence should never be excluded, except when so bright as to be uncomfortable to the eyes. And walks should be in bright sunlight, so that the eyes are protected by veil or parasol, when inconveniently intense. A sun bath is of far more importance in preserving a healthful condition of the body than is generally understood. A sun bath costs nothing, and that is a misfortune, for people are deluded with the idea that those things only can be good or useful which cost money. But remember that pure water, fresh air, sunlight, and homes keept free from damp- ness, will secure you from many heavy bills of the doctors, and give you health and vigour, which no money can procure It is a well-established fact that people who live much in the sun are usually stronger and more healthy than those whose occupations de- prive them of sunlight. ANDALUSIAN BEAUTY.-In some of the manufactories at Seville I found not less than four thousand Andalu- sian gills and women in one enormous room—truly, a startling wonderful spectacle. Fancy, four thousand crinolines hanging up in rows! Among these inhabi- tants of Seville I could not discover twelve even pleas- ing faces. I admit their costume ,was not becoming: their smart clothes and mantillas were laid aside, and their undress was of coarse texture and somewhat in disorder, the fabrication of tobacco entailing much dirt; but I was thoroughly unprejudiced — and I judged of the type of the features and of the form of the figure with the greatest impartiality. Take the better class of Andalusian women, and look at the girls who peep out of the windows, or recline in the carriages that roll along the Pasco, and you will see many charms, but no perfect beauty. The Andalusian is pleasing from her vivacity, her conversational power, politeness, and, above all her perfect simpli- city, for the Spanish lady is, of all women, the most free from affectation.—Elliott's Travels, CHLOROFORM AND THE PUBLIC.—Already the effects on the public mind caused by the recent melancholy deaths from chloroform, aided by certain of the daily papers, are being abundantly exemplified. Medical men, before prevailing on their patients to submit to its administration, have now to undergo a more pain- ful cross-examination as to the dangers of chloroform than ever. Ladies in greater numbers discover that they have heart disease, lung disease, and such like maladies, and not infrequently work themselves up to a pitch of excitement that really the chief danger to be feared ought rather to be that they die of fright than from the effects of the choloroform administered. Some again refuse point blank to have anything to do with the drug, while others-mostly hospital patients -would "rather die than have choloroform." If, instead of reading the sensational nonsense and placards of certain papers, the public bore in mind the net that chloroform prevents the fatal effects of shock from operations to an infinitely greater extent than it endangers life, it would be better for all parties.— British Medical Jovrnal. SILVER.—Silver is the most useful, if not the most valuable, of the precious metals; and if it is not in- vested with the same marvellous and romantic interest is its companion gold, there is still much that is inte- resting about its history and its manufacture. Silver has a specific gravity of 10.60; it is less hard than gold, but harder than copper, and in a pure state may easily be cut with a knife. Inferior only to gold in malleability, it can be beaten out into a leaf of an inch in thickness; while in tenacity, it surpasses its more valuable rival—a wire one-twelfth of an inch thick being capable of supporting a weight of nearly 200lbs. One of the most remarkable properties of silver, how- ever, is that it reflects light and heat more completely than any other metaL The rays of the sun concen- trated by the most powerful burning glass, which would easily melt gold or platinum, strike powerless upon the highly polished surface of a silver object. They are reflected, not absorbed, and the metal re- mains unaffected by the heat. Another effect of this quality of silver is its power of retaining heat; whence its use for-the manufacture of teapots, coffee-pots,and other vessels for holding liquids which are required to be kept as hot as possible.—Once a Week. SQUIRRELS AND THEIR ENEMIES. — Of this most beautiful, active, and graceful of all the furred deni- zens of American woods and plains, there are no less than sixty known varieties. To the sportsman east of the Rocky Mountains, the most interesting species are the grey, the fox, and the pine squirrel. The grey squirrel frequently migrates in vast numbers, and is then very destructive to the corn crop. To such an extent did their depredations reach in the colony of Pennsylvania, in the year 1746, as to excite the alarm of the authorities, a bounty of three-pence was offered for squirrel scalps, and the colonial treasury was depleted to the extent of j68,000, and nearly rendered bankrupt, 640,000 scalps having beem 'paid for in a single year. The squirrel has many enemies, and probably the least destructive of them all is man. The black snake ascends to his nest, and at one fell swoop will destroy a whole litter. The rattlesnake will paralyse poor Bunny by the glitter of his eye, and draw him on, an unresisting victim, into the jaws of death. But the owl is his greatest and most destruc- tive enemy, as towards the close of day he flits on noiseless wings through the darkening, woods, and pounces on his unsuspecting prey. The red-tailed hawk is another of his foes, but he is An open enemy, and wages war magnanimously.-History of Animals. BENEFITS OF MATRIMONY.—Single blossednessisnot good for a married man of mature years. He gets along very well for a little while, until his last fort- night's washing is brought, when he begins to realise the value of matrimony by the absence of shirt but- tons. Man can never be an independent creature until the necessity for buttons can be dispensed with. In a lodging-house a man has considerable conceit taken out of him. His interest in the establishment is limited; authority he has none. His landlady agrees to fodder him two or three times a-day, and stable him at night somewhere on the third floor. He can't complain of the coffee, or growl if the potatoes are underdone. If he doesn't like it, he can leave it. There are other lodging-houses, and he has a choice of evils. In the evening he has all the world before him. He has perfect liberty of choice between his bedroom and the street. There is a parlour, to be sure; but the young lady who has steady company is always there. You go in, and the damsel looks daggers. Her young man looks as though he would like to punch your head. If you are possessed of a sensitive and sympathetic nature, you can't resist this mute but eloquent appeal. Especially w^en it comes home to you, as it does to me, that there was a time when you were similarly situated. How would you have liked it yourself? There is no alternative but to suddenly remember that you "have an appointment," seize your hat, and rush out into the street. — Corry (fLanus, LAST DAYS OF QUEEN ELIZABETH.—II. <ighting out her long quarrel with Spain and building her Church system out of the broken masonry of Popery, her concluding years passed away. The great men who had upheld the throne in the days of her peril dropped one by one into the grave. Walsingham died soon after the defeat of the Armada, ruined in fortune, and weary of his ungrateful service. Hunsdon, Knollys, Burghley, Drake, followed at brief intervals, and their mistress was left by herself, standing, as it seemed, on the pinnacle of earthly glory, yet in all the loneli- ness of greatness, and unable to enjoy the honours which Burghley's policy had won for her. The first place among the Protestant Powers, which had been so often offered her and so often refused, had been forced upon her in spite of herself. She was Head of the Name," but it gave her no pleasure. She was the last of her race. No Tudor would sit again on the English throne. Her own sad prophecy was ful. filled, and she lived to see those whom she most trusted turning their eyes to the rising sun. Old age was coming upon her, bringing with it, perhaps, a con- sciousness of failing faculties; and solitary in the midst of splendour, and friendless among the circle of adorers who swore they lived but in her presence, she grew weary of a life which had ceased to interest her. Sickening of a vague disease, she sought no help from medicine, and finally refused to take food. She could not reat in her bed, but sat silent on cushions, staring into vacancy with fixed and stony eyes, and so at last she History of Mtigland. THK LONG Bow AND IRISH SOLDIERs.-The Augs- burgh broadside (1632) refers to the importation of wild Irish soldiers by the King of Denmark, Christian the Fourth, to Germany, troops which were afterwards employed by Gustavus Adolphus, and, much to the as- tonishment of the natives, landed at Stettin. The flying-sheet thus improved the occasion In these latter wicked .days, among other calamities God has inflicted upon us is that foreign nations interfere with us, increase from day to day, desolate our field, lay waste our land and commit great and shameful sins. More especially they impose this retribution upon our people, that many folk quite unknown before, now in- vade our country to avenge our worldly sins. Great numbers arive from distant Ireland, called Hibernians from that island. These men are hardy and strong, dark coloured like gipsies, short in stature, eager to fight, furnished with muskets and quivers, skilful in the use of bows and arrows, ready to cut their way with long knives; they run fast, so that they can make sixteen miles a day. Their clothes and caps have a barbarous appearance, almost all black, all their sheep being, as is well known, of a dark colour their shoes are chiefly made of and tied on with bark of trees. They make shift with little food; if they have no bread and are hungry they dig roots out of the earth, with which they are easily appeased. Because, then, God has sent such people into our land on account of our great sin and shame, let us cease from sin, that we may again take pleasure in us and restore peace to the land, and everyone may follow his honest calling."— D" Wmpons of War.