I
THE WE8T SHORE.
153
best is to help it to be its best, if there be the proper protection
thrown about it; but, on the contrary, to express suspicion in
its natural disposition is to discourage and thwart its good in
tentions. Tarents thus become, in many cases, the cause of a
child's motives. And in another way, also, are they largely
responsible; that is, by holding before the child, as an induce
ment to obedience, the very incentives which they sadly depre
cate at other times and upon other occasions. " Johnnie,"
says Mamma, " here is the bowl of milk you wanted ; come and
get it." But Johnnie prefers the milk in his silver bowl, while
mamma has it in a china one, so he demurs and refuHes to ac
cept it. " Very well, then," concludes mamma, " I'll give it
to little sister," and starts to make good her word. This arous
es Johnnie's selfishness, and he receives the milk. Mamma
comments, " I thought I would conquer," and In half an hour
after, perhaps, she is lamenting this same selfishness. This is
but one instance, where many might be given, where, through
the parent's fault, the child develops impure motives. Too
much oare can not be taken in mingling with children at all
times, that the slightest development of a wrong motive bo
checked as soon as it appears, and that requires the parent's
watchfulness over his own actions as well as those of the child.
READING FOR BOYS.
Many boys drift into loose, and even bad, habits, more be
cause they are not well engaged in something profitable and
elevating, than because they naturally incline to a wrong course.
Mothers realize this, and very generally make some effort to
supply entertainment at home. Gan cs, society reading, and
whatever the ingenuity of parents may suggest, are employed
for the purpose. Ikst of all these means, as a source of pleas
ure and improvement, is that of reading, for it not only affords
pleasant employment, but if well directed by parents, it en
riches the mind and gives it bias in the right direction. Head
ing aloud is often more entertaining than reading to one's self.
Especially is this so to the young, for in talking the subject
over they may give their own thoughts with seeming weight,
and enjoy the added information which those older may give
upn it. Every family, whose circumstances will at all crmit,
should have always on hand a book in progress of reading in
this way. It may take weeks, and perhaps months, to com
plete it, but the pleasure and profit will pay for the trouble. A
book thus read is never forgotten. The matter of family read
ing is not a subject which parents may pass by lightly. The
child mind must bo fed in some way, by some means. Thn
following, taken from an article in one of our exchanges, dis
closes the folly of such parents as not only do not direct the
taste of their family in the selection of reading matter, but neg
lect to supply the means necessary for the purchasing of such
as is interesting and instructive : " Not long ago, I overheard
a conversation between two boys, upon the merits and demer
its of their favorite books-which, alas! seemed to be all of the
blood-and-thunder kind-and though 1 profess to have a fair
knowledge of boy nature, I must confess I was surprised ; not
so much at the class of literature they had evidently n di
gesting, u at the credulousncss they displayed in shaking of
their Kocky Mountain Jims, Three-Fingered Jacks and Mus
tang Petes, for these bloody gentlemen were seeming y as murti
heroes to the boys, as though they had really existed ar.yH.ere
except in the diseased imagination of a sensational novel int
er. I could not understand, at first, how these boys had formed
the habit of reading such unhealthy stuff; but after talking
to them, it came out that their parents, who are good, coni
encioua christians, by the by, who would not let a novel come
in their household!, i they knew it, did not takn any Interest
in, or furnish them with, reading of any description," and so the
boys supplied themselves with flash literature, which they de
voured by stealth. I also discovered that the only reason they
had, in the find place, for buying this stylo of reading, In pref
erence to any other, was that their limited supply of pocket
money would not allow them to Indulge In anything but ten-cent
" yellow-backs." I also found out that they had so deteriorat
ed their minds by such reading, that it was doubtful whether
they could now enjoy a pure, elevating lxk. Such I the ef
fect that flashy, cheap literature has on those who oftentimes
becomo its too willing slaves."
PLAN YOUR HOUSEWORK.
Hie following, from a Maine houm-kcejr, is full of practical
suggestions, just such as have long Wen thought to 1 prac
ticed by New England house wives: Have your bread baked
in the forenoon. Tile your supjer dir.be together snugly and
set them in the closet, to bo washed with your breakfast dish
es, except your knives and forks, which you can wah and wipn
in a very short time. Have two sets of milk strainers, one for
night ami one for morning, and drop the night strainer Into w ater
until morning. Ulnso milk palls and turn them Uttom side up
in the sink, and give them a thorough washing in the morning.
Get a half-bushel backet; when you math your d'shc, have
two pans of nice water, one very hot; wash through thn first,
rinse through the second, and turn on edgn In thn basket to
dry; In an hour or so diey will lw dry and ready to set away.
Han all your work so that it can Im done as quickly as nmi
ble, and when evening comes, always dress up and enjoy It
with your husband, In such ways as are most agreeable. What
work you can not do before evening, leave until morning.
DRIEP NOTES.
ttoston has always ln noted for her Intellectual womnn.
That city has now an organlxatlori of women, known as thn
" lUton Political Class." It mcinlieri meet tw Ice each month
to discuss questions of public Imjtortance. At one of thw recrnt
meetings, there was a spirited debate of two hours ujon thn
tariff question, which was decided, by a vote of the l.o'isn, tobn
victory for free trade, Some of thn opsit sex, w ho U-lleve
in protective tariff, will doubtless give It as their opinion, that
the ladies who discussed the question were not of the laUrlng
clashes'.
At the civil service examination held In New York hut
month, eighty-five women ex pn-rd their willingness to smn
Uncle Ham, by applying for an examination for customs In
H'drcsse. They came from various vocation In U, each
hoping to Utter her condition. Tim passing amsgn of thn ex
amination was lixty-flve er cent. Thn rustling, crowding and
jelling of Eastern womm, for sulll lent money-paying laUr to
meet dally need, prove that the broadly agrrlv and en
terprising West U Utter than the Fast, lor woman a wll ai
lut man.
Miss Ftta M.atturk, the Nebraska a-lwol teacher, who iws
so badly frow n during thn recent bluard, In saving tl live of
her ipil, dird at reward, Nebraska, after having suffrrrd tU
amputation of lth legs. A sum of motcy, amounting to ovr
fjXflW, which bad been contributed a reward for h-r
heroic effort, wa given to her parent, who were tej-ntent
urfj her for iup"fl
Of thn two thowan d six hundred and nineteen rhu'w
(join twelve Amrr'xao college, a large rojiuj-dnn bw-