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"186.
Family Matters.
CupeRruLness versus SapNness.—People who are
always talking of their own petty grievances are
never as welcome as those who conceal them and
are cheerful, And besides the love which cheerful-
ness may gain us, it is a duty we owe society; for
suppose all when meeting together were to talk of
nothing but their grievances !—would any one wish
to remain there long? Certainly not; because no
good could accrue; the bright and beautiful things
, of earth would no more be thought of; the all-wise
Creator of them would no more be praised; and
- conversation, which is intended to ‘elevate our
| closely to the dull realities of life.
“thoughts, would tend to bind them here still more
One who has
moved in society must have often remarked that
_ sometimes one person is the life of a party; he
seems to have a particular talent of pleasing;
wherever he goes he carries cheerfulness with him.
Tle does not engross all the conversation, but he
draws out the opinions of all around him; his
great secret is that of making every one feel happy.
Ile talks to them, not of himself, but of topics he
: knows will interest them; and in doing so, he not
only pleases them, but he pleases himself. Little
troubles which perhaps before harassed him (for
who has them not?) are now forgotten; while, if
he had dwelt upon them, they would have magni-
fied till they would have seemed a weight too heavy
to bear. He has performed a duty to society, by
making those around him wiser, better, and hap-
pier; and in making others so, he has not failed in
sharing the benefit. Why could not we all, as far
as we are able, imitate so good an example, scatter
a few flowers along the pathway of existence, which,
though we miss them not, may cheer on his way
some poor fellow-pilgrim whose load is heavier to
bear than ours? Oh! may we follow our divine
exemplar « who went about doing good.”
ApbvantaGEs or A Bap Tremper.—Surely a fine
furious temper, (observes Thackeray,) if accom-
panied with a certain magnanimity and bravery
. which often go together with it, is one of the most
precious and fortunate gifts with which a gentle-
man or lady can be endowed. <A person always
ready to fight is certain of the greatest consideration
amongst his or her family circle. The lazy grow
tired of contending with him; the timid coax and
flatter him; and as almost every one is timid or
lazy, a bad-tempered man is sure to have his own
way. It is he who commands, and all the others
obey. If he is a gourmand, he has what he likes
for dinner; and the tastes of all the rest are subser-
vient tohim. She—we playfully transfer the gen-
der, as a bad temper is of both sexes—has the place
which she likes best in the drawing-room; nor do
her parents, nor her brothers and sisters, venture
to take her favorite chair. If she wants to go toa
party, mamma will dress herself, in spite of her
head-ache; and’ papa, who ‘hates ‘those ‘dreadful
soirées, Will go up-stairs after dinner and put on his
poor old white neckcloth, though he has been toil-
ing at chambers all day—and must be there early
in the morning—he will go out with her, we say,
and stay for the cotillon, If the family are taking
their tour in the summer, it. is she who ordains
whither they shall go, and where they shall stop.
If he’ comes home late, the dinner is kept for him,
and not one dares to say a word, though ever so
hungry. If he is in a good humor, how eyery one
frisks about, and‘ is happy! How the servants
jump up at his bell and run to wait upon him!
How they sit up patiently, and how cagerly they
rush out to fetch cabs in the rain!.. Whereas for
you or me, who have the tempers of angels, and
never were known to be angry or to complain, no-
body cares whether we are pleased or not. Our
wives go to the milliners and send us the bill, and
we pay it; our John finishes reading the news-
paper before he answers our bell, and brings it to
us; our sons loll in the arm-chair, which we should
like, fill the house with their young. men, and
smoke in the dining-room; our tailors fit us badly;
our butchers give us the youngest mutton; our
tradesmen dun us much more quickly than other
people, because they know we are good-natured ;
and our servants go out whenever they like, and
openly have their friends to supper in the kitchen,
Accorpin@ to a circular issued by M. J. Franke,
a wine-dealer of Cette, the whole produce of the
vineyards in the south of France this year scarcely
reaches one-sixth of an average.
Tur Pasha of Egypt has authorised M. Lesseps,
formerly French consul in Egypt, to form a com-
pany to construct a canal through the Isthmus of
ueZz, .
Cotp words will break a fine heart, as winter’s
frost does a crystal palace,
.. Useful Receipts.
Peppermint Water.—Boil three quarts of water,
pour into a jug and let it remain until luke-warm,
then pour in three cents worth of Oil of Peppermint,
sweeten with loaf sugar to taste, and keep stirring
until quite cold, then bettle’ 9. 4 ¢ a
Lemon Mince Pies.—Squeeze a large lemon, boil
the outside till tender enough to beat to a mass;
add to it three large apples chopped, and four
ounces of suet, half a pound of currants, and four
ounces of sugar; put the juice of the lemon and
candied fruits as for other pies. Make short crust,
and fill the patty-pans as usual. eid
To fatten Poultry.—Poultry should be fattened in
coops, and kept very clean. They should be fur-
nished with gravel, but with no water. . Their
only food, barley-meal, mixed so thin with water
as to serve them for drink. Their thirst makes
them eat more than they would in order to extract
the water that is among the food. This should not
be put in troughs, but laid upon a board, which
should be washed clean every time fresh food is put
upon it. It is foul and heated water which is the
sole cause of the pip. oe
Italian Lemonade.—This is an elegant beverage
for routs, evening parties &c., and in richness al-
most equals liqueur, ‘To make about a gallon cf it,
two dozen lemons should be pared and pressed, and
the juice poured on the peels, and allowed to remain
on them twelve hours; two pounds of loaf sugar, a
quart of white wine, and three quarts of boiling
water, should then be added, and subsequently a
quart of boiling milk. .. The whole should then be
clarified through a jelly-bag. '
Orangeade.—This:is made by steeping the rinds
of six China and two Seville oranges in a quart of
boiling water, for about six hours. Three pints of
water and a pound of sugar should then be made
into a syrup, and added to the above, with the juice
of twelve China and two. Seville oranges.» .The
whole, being well stirred, should be passed through
a jelly-bag. . Should sweetness be wanted, orange-
flower water and capillaire may be added; and ac-
cording to taste, two lemons. ... « ) ‘ .
Sausage Cakes.—Chop lean pork very finely, hav:
ing removed all the bone and skin previously, and
to every pound of meat add three-quarters of a
pound of fat bacon, half an ounce of salt, a pinch of
pepper, a quarter of a nutmeg, grated, six green
onions, chopped finely, and a little chopped parsely :
when the whole is well cl opped and mixed, put it
into a morter and pound well, finishing with three
eggs. Then have ready a pig’s caul, which cut mto
pieces large enough to fold a piece of the above pre-
paration, of the size of an egg, which wrap up,
keeping the shape of an egg, but rather flattened,
and broil very gently over a moderate fire.
your puff-paste out quickly, nearly half an inch
thick, and cut it into pieces about five inches wide.
Lay a small quantity of any kind of preserved fruit,
jam, or marmalade on them: double them over and
cut into squares, triangles, crescents, or any shape
you please, closing them very neatly by wetting and
pinching them at the sides. Lay them, with paper,
on a baking-tin; ice them the same as pies and
tarts, and bake them about twenty minutes, taking
care not to discolor the icing. ‘he following makes
a good paste for tarts, turn-overs, &c. ; Rub a quar-
ter of a pound of butter in one’ pound.of flour;
make a hole in the middle, and. put in: a little
water, two yolks’ and one white of:an egg; work
them all up to a proper consistency, and roll out for
s
se. ‘ 4
Oyster Pie.—Take a large dish, butter it, and
spread a rich paste over the sides and round the
edge, but not at the bottom. ’ The oysters should be
fresh, and as large and fine as possible. Drain off
part of the liquor from the oysters.. Put them into
a pan,,and scason them with pepper, salt, and spice.
Stir them well with the seasoning. Have ready the
yolks of eggs, chopped fine. and the grated bread.
Pour the oysters (with as much of the liquor as you
please,) into the dish that has the paste in it. Strew
over them the chopped egg and grated bread. Roll
out the lid of the pie, and put-it on, crimping the
edges handsomely, Take a small sheet of paste, cut
it into a square, and roll it up. Cut it with a
sharp knife into the form of a double tulip. . Make
‘a slit in the centre of the upper crust, and stick
the tulip in it, Cut out eight large leaves of paste,
and lay them on the lid. * Bake the pie in a quick
oven. . -
Mixing a Salad.—This is a point of proficiency
which is easy to attsin with care. The main point
is, to incorporate the several articles required for
the sauce, and to serve up at table as fresh pos-
sible. ‘The herbs should be “morning gathered,”
Puffs, and Turn-overs of Preserved Fruits.—Roll |
-FRANK 'LESLIE’S ‘NEW -YORK JOURNAL. '
and they -will be muth refreshed by laying an
hour or; two. in .spring. water. . Careful. pick+
ing, and washing, and drying in a cloth, .in' the
kitchen, are.also very important, and the due pro- ,
portion of each, herb requires attention. , The sauce
may be,thus prepared :—Boil two eggs for.ten or ;
twelve minutes, and then put them in cold water
for a few minutes, so that the yolks may become
quite cold and hard. Rub them through a coarse ;
seive with a wooden spoon, and mix them with a
tablespconful of water or cream, and then add two
tablespoonsful of fine flask oil,’ or melted butter;
mix,.and ad
when, incorporate with the other ingredients about
‘three tablespoonsful of.vinegar; then. pour this ;
sauce down the side of the salad-bowl, but do vot
stir up the salad till wanted to be eaten, Garnish
the top of the salad with the white of the eggs cut
in slices; or these may be arranged in such a man-
ner_as.to be ornamental on the table." Some per-
sons may: fancy they are able to prepare a salad
without previous instruction, but, like everything
else, a little knowledge in this case may not be
thrown away, : : :
_Effectually to Destroy Bugs. — Take two ounces
of quicksilver, and the whites of two eggs, and §0 ;
on: in this ratio for a-larger or smaller quantity. :,
Beat. the quicksilver and the whites together until
they unite and become a froth. With a feather
then- apply the compound thus formed to the:
crevices and holes in your bedsteads. ‘This done
once or twice in a year will prove effectual.
Polish for Granite—The most suitable substance
for giving a fine polish to granite is the powder of
corundum. : It is not mixed with wax, but with
lac; and the greater the care taken in effecting the
mixture, the finer and more durable is- the polish.
It is essential that the powder employed for this
purpose should be extremely hard: and hence that
of corundum is preferred. > :
To Soften Old Putty—In removing old broken
panes from a window, it is generally very difficult
to get off the hard, dry putty that sticks round the
glass and its frame. Dip a small brush in a little
nitric or muriatic acid, (to be obtained at the drug-
gists,) and go over the putty with it. Let it rest
a while, and it will soon become so soft that you
can remove it with ease, z
A Fire-Proof and Water-Proof. Cement. —To
half a pint of milk put an equal quantity of vinegar,
in order to curdle it; then separate the curd from
the whey, and mix the whey with the whites of
of four or five eggs, beating the whole well together.
When it is well mixed, add a little quick-lime
through a seive, until it has acquired the consis-
tence of a thick paste. With this cement broken
vessels, and cracks of all kinds may be mended.
It dries quickly, and resists the action of fire and
water. | : t poke:
Domestiz -Yeast.—Ladies who are in the habit
(and a most laudable and comfortable habit it is)
of making domestic: bread, cake, &c., are informed
that they can easily manufacture their own yeast by
attending to the following directions: Boil one
pound of good flour, a quarter of a pound of brown
sugar, and a little salt, in two gallons of water, fcr
one hour, When milk-warm, bottle it, and cork it
close. It will be fit for use in twenty-four hours. ,
One pint of this yeast will make eightcen pounds
of bread. , . a
of Medals—Melt a little ising] 1
with brandy, and pour it thinly over the medal, so}
as to cover its whole surface; let it remain on a
day or two till it is” ee dry and hardened, .
and then taking it off, it will be fine, clear, and as
hard: as a piece of Muscovy glass, and will have a /
It will also’;
very elegant imupression of the coin, |
resist the effects of damp air, which occasions all
other kinds of glue to soften and bend, if not pre~
pared in this way, ; .
To Smooth a Creased or Rumpled Ribbon—Lay
the ribbon evenly on a clean table or board, and.
with a very clean sponge damp it all over, missing
no part. "Next, roll it, smoothly and tightly, on a
ribbon-block that is wider than the r:bbon, and let
it remain till dry. Afterwards, transfer it toa fresh |
block-{which must be perfectly dry) rolling it round
that, Wrap it closely up in coarse brown paper,
and keep it thus.till you want to use it, ‘Troning
a ribbon is apt to discolor it, and give it a faded look
even when new. Ribbons and other silks, should
always be put away in coarse brown paper. Coarse
brown Paper beng made of old ropes picked to
pieces, the tar still lingering about them, pr
the colors of the silks. . ” Presenves
How bitter a thing it is to look into happi
through another man’s eyes! | : _
d by ,degrees, a teaspoonful of, ealt,
and the same quantity of mustard; mix till smooth, ..