Our friend of ten years' standing has a right, we think, to candid consideration, as, indeed, have all who have been associated with us in the cause of human progress. We will not ignore his plea merely because he is the only one who has objected to the sketch which we have been publishing, but look at it squarely.

The story he objects to so pointedly is that entitled "A Bad Beginning," and in defending our course in introducing it to the reader, we have to say

First, that the motive which influenced us at the outset was the inculcation of high moral principles by the delineation, in a series of sketches of social life, by a fiction, if the reader will, in which occurrences should take place not inconsistent with the current of life in a mixed population like

ours.

Second, that there should be enough of the practical application of phrenological methods to give the reader a clear view of each character, the basis of his action, how he or she was affected by propensity, or emotional sentiment, or intellectual judg

ment.

Third, that the influence of parentage should be rendered clear enough for the reader to trace its relations to the conduct of the principal characters.

In the treatment of the several points involved considerable latitude was, of course, demanded by the author, who is a lady of the highest moral integrity and of marked intellectual refinement. We think that she has rendered the groupings and occurrences thus far intensely realistic, and it is probably this feature which our correspondent takes umbrage at.

As for the "vile and mean" characters, they are but few, and the author has sketched them as briefly as their relation to the plot would permit. Those persons who occupy

the foreground are not "vile and mean," but, on the contrary, possess qualities which, by the stimulus of great trials, are grandly active, and command our admiration. The author is a close observer of the conflict or want of harmony between the capitalists and the men who live only by the hardest toil, and her sympathies with the laboring classes are so strong that she has given them some expression. And we think that, in the light of what we read in the daily newspapers of oppression and wrong inflicted by employers upon poor men and women, that she has far from exaggerated in the details of Ralph Staunton's conduct toward his employés.

Our friend likens this story, by implication, to the fictions of the common papers of the day. If we thought there were any real resemblance in quality and design we should suspend its publication at once, for our aim in everything we put in type is to instruct in one way or another. We would develop every part of the man, his æsthetic and social faculties as well as his intellect; his self-protective, combative, executive elements, as well as his kindness, sympathy, religious feeling, and Conscientiousness.

Teaching by examples, such as an allegory or a parable, or a "story" may be made to furnish, is one of the best methods. by which truth can be presented and impressed upon the mind, and certainly we should not be debarred from adopting so efficient a course, especially when it has the approval, as is the case with "A Bad Beginning," of all but one of our correspondents and subscribers who have made any mention of it in their communications with us.

But notwithstanding all this, should there arise now a strong demand from our readers at large to suspend the story, we should accept their verdict as final.

A

CENTENNIAL LIQUORS. WARM friend of temperance and decency sends the following very pertinent letter.

"PHILADELPHIA, February, 1876. "DEAR EDITOR: It has been reported and often repeated that the Centennial grounds in Philadelphia are to be flooded during the six months of the Exhibition with all sorts of liquors. It has gone the rounds of the papers that the Centennial Commission has farmed or sold out to a

wealthy brewer the privilege of supplying all the beer to Centennial guzzlers of that swill for the sum of $4,500. For a similar sum all lovers of sparkling wines' are to imbibe at least five hundred gallons per day-Centennially. So, too, the entire range of bibulous 'ardents,' named or namable, is to be arranged under the direction and control of the highest bidder' for each kind, to entice and supply the largest possible quantity to the largest possible number of thirsty Centennialisers.

"If this be so, no blame to the 'Commission' if all the 10,000,000 visitors - the least number computed by them— shall fail to keep drunk from 'morn till dewy eve,' and from May to November of the 'glorious' Centennial, 1876.

"But let us hope that nothing of the kind is to be permitted. I have talked with several of the Board on this very subject. They deny emphatically, first, that they have entertained any proposition whatever, or shall do so, for privilege to sell or supply any intoxicating liquors to be drank on the grounds; second, that any public bar will be allowed at all; and they affirm that all practicable means shall be used to prevent the demand for such liquors.

"They say that there must be restaurants, and that these may supply on call at the tables fermented liquors. This last mayand will, if allowed-vitiate the whole thing. But friends of 'temperance and righteousness' are aroused to this threatened danger and consequent tide of iniquity. They will do what can be done to avert such an outrage and disgrace. The Commissioners are to be approached by the

best men of this city seeking their assurance that they will shut down the gate against the 'infernal stuff' at the very outset, and keep it shut. Failing in this, public mass meetings are to be called to ventilate and pass upon the matter. And then there is a legal phase of the subject, not generally known, connected with the charter granted to Fairmount Park which may be enforced or tried. Yours, truly, 8." We earnestly hope that the vile stuff shall be kept entirely away from the Centennial Exposition grounds. Such an accomplishment would not only be a triumph of Christian morality, but a splendid testimony to the world that the people of the United States, notwithstanding the corruption in certain political circles, are progressive, indeed, and appreciate the destructive effects upon society of the unrestricted use of alcoholic beverages.

M

THE FRUITS OF IT.

ANY persons have become interested in the science of human nature, and, desiring to engage in lecturing and reading character as a profession, they write us requesting to be informed, briefly, how they can best present the subject by means of lectures, and how to make correct examinations, thinking, doubtless, that in a rather long letter we can tell them all they need to learn on the subject. If they could sit and listen to our explanations for a hundred and fifty hours, and see all the illustrations offered by our extensive collection of phrenological specimens, they would find out that many scores of long letters would fail to give more than an outline or skeleton of the great subject.

As an evidence that a full course of instruction is serviceable to our students who faithfully and zealously seek to acquire all that we are able to impart, we copy from the Sandy Lake, Pa., News of March 10th, a notice of one of our students who graduated on the 10th of November last, just four months before the publication of the notice:

“PHRENOLOGICAL LECTURES. — It has never been our good fortune to hear the science of Phrenology and its teachings so ably explained as they were by J. Boyd Epsy in his recent course. They were so intermingled with sound, practical advice, that the most skeptical on the subject acknowledged themselves benefited. We hope the gentleman will receive the patron

age his efforts in the cause of science, religion, and humanity deserve."

This is not the first strong and cordial notice brother Espy has received during his brief season in the field, nor is he the only student of the class of '75 who has made a good mark and received flattering public recognition.

To Extirpate House Insects.-We

have alluded to the usefulness of alum for this purpose in a former number, and now the Journal of Chemistry publishes a recipe for the destruction of insects, which is a slight modification of what we have advised, and maybe more. Take two pounds of alum and dissolve it in three or four quarts of boiling water; let it stand on the fire till the alum disappears; then apply it with a brush, while nearly boiling hot, to every joint and crevice in your closets, bedsteads, pantry shelves, and the like. Brush crevices in the floor of the skirting, or mop-boards, if you expect they harbor vermin.

Loss of Weight in Grain.-A series of experiments instituted to test the average loss in weight by drying, show that corn loses one-fifth, and wheat one-fourteenth by the process. From this statement it appears that farmers will make more by selling unshelled corn in the fall at seventy-five cents than the following summer at $1 a bushel; and that wheat at $1.32 in December is equal to $1.50 for the same wheat in June following. This estimate is made on the basis of interest at seven per cent., and takes no account of loss from vermin. The facts are noteworthy.

A Generous Offer.-The editor of a little sheet which deserves abundant patronage, the Evergreen, Sturgeon Bay, Wis., informs us that he has growing upon his premises, of spontaneous seeding, large amounts of seedlings of the above of dif ferent sizes, and some ten or a dozen different varieties, which he will give away in any quantity to any person for his own planting only, by his removing them at his own expense. He will furnish full information regarding sizes, varieties, cost of removing,

etc., to any person addressing him as above, with stamp to pay return postage.

Tomatoes Raised In-doors.-The London Gardeners' Chronicle describes a method of raising tomatoes within doors which, it says, has been successful, and is worthy of general adoption. The seed is sown about Christmas, and by the first week in March the plants are set out against the back wall of some of the lean-to-vineries, in a good compost, with ample root-room. Here they make a rapid and vigorous growth, and in the course of the season attain to a height of from ten to twelve feet, and produce successive crops of fruit with great profusion until past Christmas. In this manner early and late tomatoes are obtained from the same plants. As a matter of course, the plants can scarcely be kept too moist, and a good dressing of crushed bones is occasionally given. The border in which tomatoes are planted is only about fifteen inches in width. The plants must be well fed, but the wonderful crops they bear is the best testimony to the advantage of a liberal treatment. The weight of fruit obtained from one plant in a season is something remarkable, and many plants attain a great size.

A single grain of wheat, accidentally dropped in a garden in Hoveringham, England, last spring, produced sixty-three ears and more than 3,000 grains of wheat; probably the largest yield ever known, but showing what good soil and good cultivation can accomplish.

Maple Sugar.-A great many farmers might make a few hundred pounds of superb maple sugar, and a barrel of superb maple syrup, just as well as not. They have

the trees, an abundance of cheap help, and wood that would cost nothing except the labor of preparing it for the fire. The only difficulty in the way is a disinclination to engage in such a job. The argument is, "It won't pay." But will it pay to lay around the house, grumble about the weather, and watch the clouds? Mechanics, tradesmen, clerks, helpers, and all the industrial classes in towns and cities are required to start early every morning, and apply themselves all the day long, every day and every week. If the inhabitants of the rural districts would exert themselves in a similar manner they would accomplish twice as much as they now do.Exchange.

Cranberries in Japan.-A young Japanese, while in the United States, expressed much surprise at seeing cranberries eaten at the table, and said that in the mountains of Japan they grow very large and beautiful, but are never cooked. Some old

man occasionally goes up to the mountain and picks a long basketful of them, which he brings on his shoulders down to the town. Here the boys gather about him, and for a small coin purchase the right to crowd their pockets with them. And what use do you think they make of this otherwise useless fruit? The boys blow the glowing berries through rattan tubes, as our boys blow beans through tin ones. That's what cranberries are used for in Japan.

The following table of periods which some of the most common seeds require in germinating is given in the Michigan Farmer: Wheat, 1 day; millet, 1; Hungarian grass, 1; barley, 7; spinach, 3; beans, 3; mustard, 3; lettuce, 3; aniseed, 4; melon, 5; cress, 5; cucumber, 5; beet, 6; purslane, 9; cabbage, 10; parsley, 40 to 50; hyssop, 30; almond, 1 year; chestnut, 1; peach, 1; rose, 2; filbert, 2, and hawthorn, 2 years.

Make Farming a Business.-Geo. R. Drew, a Vermont farmer, is reported in the Rural New Yorker as saying, at a farmer's festival: "Farming can be made more pleasant by making a business of it, and not be attending to too many other things at the same time. And then by not overworking. I think there has been an improvement in this respect, but there is need of more still. I have said that I would not take the gift of a farm and be obliged to work as I did

when a boy. I now see the policy of giving children and young folks a great deal of recreation. I am very sure that more work can be done in a long run by working ten hours a day than by being actively engaged for fourteen hours. Also, we should not be too much confined at home. We should go away occasionally, and many times we might learn enough to make up for our lost time."

A Discovery About Corn. - The Western Rural tells of a man who plants, two or three weeks after the crop is planted, a new hill of corn every fifteenth row, each way. And this is the reason: If the weather becomes dry after the filling time, the silk and tassels both become dry and dead. In this condition, if it should become seasonable, the silk revives and renews its growth, bnt the tassels do not recover. Then, for want of pollen, the new silk is unable to fill the office for which it was designed. The pollen from the replanted corn is then ready to supply silk, and the filling is completed. He says nearly all the abortive ears, so common in all corn crops, are caused by the want of pollen, and he has known ears to double their size in this filling.

Fence-Waste of Land.-If a farm of 160 acres is divided by fences into fields of ten acres each, there are five miles of fences. If each fence, now, is one rod wide, no less than ten acres of land are occupied by them. This is equal to 6 per cent. of the farm, and the loss of the use of the land is exactly equal to a charge of 64 per cent. on the whole value of the farm. But nearly every fence row in the country is made a nursery for weeds, which stock the whole farm, and make an immense amount of labor necessary to keep them from smothering the crops. Much damage always results to the crops from these weeds, and if these expenses are added to the first one, the whole will easily sum up to 20 per cent., or a tax of one-fifth of the value of the farm. remedy this we would have fewer fences, or we would clean and sow down the fence rows to grass or clover, and mow them twice a year. Ten acres of clover or timothy would at least supply a farm with seed and a few tons of hay every year. We would, in short, consider the fence rows as a valuable part of the farm, and use them as such.-Agricul turist.

To

reader.

STEALING." Why will Acquisitiveness cause one person to steal, and another person, very honest, to be very avaricious and miserly? I have a little boy who is very large in this organ; I also have it large, his mother has it a little less. I have all my life had a very great tendency for acquiring, and believe, were it not for the restraining influence of the moral organs, which are large, I could never have kept this organ under control. What training should a child have who has large Acquisitiveness?"

Ans. Acquisitiveness being large, will sometimes lead a person to unfairness in the acquisition of property, unless Cautiousness and Conscientiousness are large enough to balance it. We have known persons to steal in a petty way who had only medium Acquisitiveness, but they lacked sagacity and capacity to make money, and when they became poverty-stricken, would steal to eke out their existence; while another man in the same community, possessed large Acquisitiveness, but also had the energy, talent, and skill to make money abundantly, and had also the strong moral qualities to keep the propensities under proper control. The truth is, organs fully developed will lead to abuse if the intellectual and moral forces are not present also, on the same principle that lemon-juice alone is very sour, but, if mixed with sugar and water in the proper proportions, becomes delectable. Sugar is very sweet, sickishly so, but modified with lemon-juice and water, it tastes very nicely. Character is mingled, and made up of balancing and contradictory elements, but harmony is the result of their combinations, as

many notes may be made to harmonize in one grand "voluptuous swell." The way to train such a child is to keep his restraining faculties active, and surround him with a public sentiment that shall keep his moral sentiments constantly awake in the direction desired. In some families the dollar is the chief topic, and honor and conscience not being mingled in the conversation, the young listener gets a strong bias in the wrong, or avaricious direction. In some families, where domestic missionary work may be the business of the household; where property and good things are given, liberality may become chronic, and we have known children of such families to go out into the street and give to poor children things not at all needed; thus they manifested their kindness, although unwisely.

FREEDMEN OF THE SOUTH.-" Do these people show, in their general development, indications of poetry and music?"

Ans. These people show a considerable variety of development, but generally more of the musical than of the poetical. Occasionally we find one who shows a strongly-marked development of both tendencies. Africans are particularly musical, and, with intellectual culture, they doubtless would exemplify a considerable degree of the poetical element. Witness the Fisk University Company, of Tennessee.

CHOICE OF PURSUITS.- "Why are we not inclined to the pursuits for which nature endows us?"

Ans. Generally because some factitious ideal of what we should be blinds us to our capacity in the matter of vocation. The love of approbation leads men to want that which is stylish and very respectable, when, perhaps, they are capable only of doing that which does not bring either fame or fortune.

COPYING." What qualifications are necessary for one to become a good copyist? Also, by whom are they employed, what are their wages, etc?"

Ans. A copyist needs to be a good writer, a good speller, a good grammarian, and have a predominence of the mental and motive temperaments. Copyists are employed by lawyers, by authors, by real estate dealers, and some others, and the wages vary in this pursuit as much as the wages of clerks in stores vary. In