MODERN PIANO FORTE PLAYING.

WE have a nice, old-fashioned aunt who cannot understand, though she has been a long time trying to, why young ladies are always having "music lessons." In her day, "two quarters," or at most three, were deemed sufficient for that most expensive accomplishment, and the performer was then ready to play quicksteps, marches, reels, and, more latterly, cotillions, for the country round. "The Battle of Prague" was the test of a remarkable execution, and the "Storm Rondo" an Alp on Alps of musical performance, which few had the daring to attempt. But there were Scotch ballads, and sweet Irish, Scotch, and even Italian airs, that moved the listener to sad or pleasant reveries, played with feeling and expression as they often were, which surpassed the triumphs of execution, and fatigued neither the ear nor the attention.

But those unsophisticated days have passed. The importation of European pianists has changed the current of taste, and, especially since the thunders of De Meyer, impossibilities "are your only hearing." Music composed for the most accomplished masters has been republished, and is attempted on all sides by amateurs, who give all the noise and the notes, it is true, but cannot hope to attain the grace and ease which, under the hands of the composers, brought pleasure as well as astonishment. They cannot condescend to play a simple air, even were it one of Rossini's; it is so draped by variations and muffled by movements," that the composer himself would scarcely recognize a favorite child, in the skipping, tripping, waying, thundering production which it has been educated to. "Oh, play that simple air again!" is a song we can never find use for in these accomplished days. It is to accomplish all these prodigies of execution that the music-master is so constantly "abroad," and fashionable young ladies give so much time and exertion to practice. But the best description we have ever seen of their efforts we quote from the clever pen of Mrs. S. C. Hall, which, like the ruby mouth of the fairy tale princess, is ever dropping pearls of sense or sentiment. The young lady has been invited to play by a gentleman of the old school:

"She obeyed with prompt politeness. Her white hands, gemmed with jewels, flew over the keys like winged seraphs; they bewildered the eye by the rapidity of their movements. The instrument thundered; but the thunder was so continuous that there was no echo! The contrast will come by and by,' thought the disciple of the old school: there must be some shadow to throw up the lights.' "Thunder-crash-thunder-crash-drum-rattle-a confused, though eloquent running backwards and forwards of sounds, the rings flashing like lightning! Another crash-louder-a great deal of crossing hands-violent strides from one end of the instrument to the otherprodigious displays of strength on the part of the fair performer-a terrific shake! 'What desperate exertion!' thought the general; and all to produce a soulless noise.' Then followed a fearful banditti of octaves-another crash, louder and more prolonged than the rest; and she looked up with a triumphant smile-a smile conveying the same idea as the pause of an opera-dancer after a most wonderful pirouette.

"Do you keep a tuner in the house, my dear young lady?" inquired the general.

"If a look could have annihilated, he would have crumbled into ashes.

"And that is fashionable music,' he continued. "I have lived so long out of England, only hearing the music of Beethoven, and Mozart, and Mendelssohn, I was not aware that noise was substituted for power, and that exe cution had banished expression. Dear me!-why, the piano is vibrating at this moment! Poor thing! How long does a piano last you?'”

OUR WORK-BASKET.

Of course, our centre-table has its work-basket; and acting upon this supposition, we find it, this bright morning, enriched by a package of patent "Helix DrilledEyed Needles," of assorted sizes, scissors that would be dear to the lovers of shining English cutlery, and a penknife to mend the pencil with which our desk is expected to be supplied. Our acknowledgments are certainly due to the importers, E. C. Pratt & Brother, of this city, for them, as well as the information with regard to really good needles which we requested from them. Our lady readers must have noticed how easily the eye of a bad needle severs the thread, making those untidy inequalities in the seam, as well as wasting the time of the seamstress. An English house has secured a patent obviating this. The eye of almost every needle, when examined by a microscope, has a spiral series of brilliant and extremely sharp edges. The manufacture of the patent needles obviating this, is thus briefly described: The needles are set up in the machine with great precision in parallel rows, and helixes are passed through their eyes with great rapidity, removing even the most microscopic inequality. This explains a fault which ladies often observe, and, at the same time, secures them against annoyances. We have already yielded to the feminine impulse of trying them, and therefore speak from experience of the smoothly gliding thread following their even way.

BOOKS FOR THE CENTRE-TABLE.

We are very apt to form our notions of the members of the home circle from the books we find upon the table, for we know that the spirit partakes of the nature of its suste

nance.

The showy annuals, in their gilt bindings, one so often sees, promise little more than graceful, showy girls, as elegant, but as useless, as their favorite light reading. Neither are histories or grave essays exactly in their place in the room where visitors are to be entertained, or cheerful household talk to be carried on. Study has its own consocrated nook, but the household volume should possess its own characteristic of grace, purity, and real interest. We have before mentioned new books that would seem to possess these characteristics, and since then several more have been added to our list.

In strange contrast, we find the lives of "Margaret Fuller" and "Margaret Godolphin" the first the type of the

intellectual woman, the latter the embodiment of all domestic and Christian excellence, combined with rare intelligence and elegance of manner.

"Polite as she in courts had ever been;

Yet good as she the world had never seen."

In her journal, in her letters, in the thousand delicate and feminine traits of character recorded by her friend, John Evelyn-himself the pattern of a true gentleman-we find her preserving the purity and dignity of her woman's nature, "keeping her garments white" in the midst of the corruptions of the most dissipated court that ever has sullied the fair fame of England. The touching, yet simple story of her love and death has, withal, its own romance, and we commend the volume especially to our young lady readers as an example that cannot fail to brighten their own hearts and lives.

"Madeline," by Julia Kavanagh, is a tale of peasant love and steadfastness; a delineation of that strong, self-denying, faithful spirit, that seems nursed only amid rugged hills and hardy mountain air. "Madeline" has a word of reproof for those who fold their hands idly in life's harvestfield, because the object they had marked out is taken from them, leaving a lonely home and hearth.

There is also another volume from the same pen, and marked with the same vigorous and delicate characteristics of style and manner. "Women of Christianity," a simple, yet touching record of their faith and charity; the noble Julia and Paula, the faithful Monica, Margaret of Scotland, Elizabeth of Hungary, with many others of later and more modern times, show us a true type of womanhood. Such books as these have more than a passing influence on the home circle, and every mother may safely commend them to her daughter's hands.

The Appleton Brothers, of New York, send us these admirable works, together with "Hearts Unveiled," an Amorican tale, by S. E. Saymore, which has also food for thought.

POETICAL ENIGMA.

We have received several poetical responses to our last enigma, "Lady Grey;" one by Annie E. Rushton, and another by S. W. T. We give one below with rather less sentiment, but one of the very cleverest we ever have seen, for which we solicit the same kind attention.

MY AUNT.

My aunt, at her mansion on Mulberry Green,
Was a kind-hearted lady as ever was seen;
For true hospitality, friendship, and mirth,

There was not a more good-natured creature on earth.
She wrote to me thus: "My dear nephew, come down,
You need relaxation from duties in town;
Dogs, horses, and guns, at your service shall be,
If you like to enjoy a snug fortnight with me.
But as I, upon second thoughts, think you 'll prefer
A young friend to a 'crusty old woman like me,'
You may bring one or two good companions-and all
Shall find a warm welcome at Mulberry Hall."
Well, I thought, such a kind invitation as this--
With such pleasures in prospect-'twere folly to miss;
So, with cheerful Bob Goodwill and Theodore Bright,
I spent the first week in incessant delight,
And said, "Aunt, I have profited finely, you see,

By the friendly indulgence you granted to me;

I have strictly adhered to your liberal tone,

And have made your nice house and your servants my

own."

Three words, of one syllable cach, she replied,
And I cantered off briskly-my blushes to hide.

I soon joined my friends and the hounds in full cry,
And no one could feel more delighted than I.
The breeze was refreshing-the sun's early ray
Was expanding around into beautiful day;
The scent of the hawthorn, the lark in loud song,
So charmed me, as, heedless, I galloped along,
That, careless of all but the hounds and the horns,
We fell in a ditch full of briers and thorns.
With scrambling, and kicking, and pulling, my horse
Was soon out of this awkward dilemma, of course;
But alas, in the struggle, I nearly was stript,
And every seam in my coat was unript!

My mortification, at seeing my aunt,
In my woful condition, describe it I can't;
She laughed, as my prison I made my way through,
And held out my coat, and said, "What shall I do ?"

Her reply was the very same words as before
Pronounced-the real words are for you to explore.

IDLE HOURS.

Ir is Miss Leslie who says, "We would think a lady never had but two dresses in her life before marriage, by the quantity purchased and made for the bridal." We do not quote the words exactly, perhaps, but such is the sentiment. And a very natural conclusion it seems; this inundation of dresses is a custom as fixed and unalterable as that which insists on every stitch in the whole trousseau being set, leaving the poor bride nothing but folded hands after the wedding-day is over. The hurry of six months is succeeded by an appalling calm; there is not even the lace of a cap or handkerchief to be sewn on, or an apron to be hemmed; and listless ennui threatens the bride of a month. We have lately heard of one-a sober, New England citywoman-who was discovered sitting on the carpet of her elegantly furnished apartment playing solitairé, the cards spread out upon an ottoman before her. What a picture to illustrate our theme-the husband gone to business, the wife tired of the piano, too heedless for reading, and with an empty work-basket! We should have prescribed a set of house-linen immediately; there is nothing like the needle to tranquillize the mind and raise the spirits, if taken moderately. It reminds one of the old song

I don't care two and sixpence now,

For anything in life;

My days of fun are over now,

I'm married and a wife!

I'm sick of sending wedding-cake,
And eating wedding-dinners,
And all the fun that people make
With newly-wed beginners.

I wonder if this state be what
Folks call the honey-moon?
If so, upon my word, I hope
It will be over soon!

I cannot read, I cannot think,
All plans are at an end;

I scarcely know one thing to do-
My time I cannot spend!

Think of it, ye fair fiancées, and, by the warning, do not exhaust your stock of work and plans; for, where idleness is, discontent is sure to creep in.

Fashions.

NOTICE TO LADY SUBSCRIBERS.

Having had frequent applications for the purchase of jewelry, millinery, etc., by ladies living at a distance, the Editress of the Fashion Department will hereafter execute commissions for any who may desire it, with the charge of a small percentage for the time and research required. Bridal wardrobes, spring and autumn bonnets, dresses, jewelry, bridal cards, cake boxes, envelops, etc. etc., will be chosen with a view to economy, as well as taste; and boxes or packages forwarded by express to any part of the country. For the last, distinct directions must be given.

Orders, accompanied by checks for the proposed expenditure, to be addressed to the care of L. A. Godey, Esq., who will be responsible for the amount, and the early execution of com

missions.

Instructions to be as minute as is possible, accompanied by a note of the height, complexion, and general style of the person, on which much depends in choice. Dress goods from Levy's or Stewart's, bonnets from Miss Wharton's, jewelry from Bailey's, Warden's, Philadelphia, or Tiffany's, New York, if requested.

THE NURSERY.

WE have long since promised a continuation of our nursery articles, and now that the August dearth of news items gives us space, we go on to the consideration of that important point in a child's toilet, the introduction of short clothes.

The age at which this becomes advisable is somewhat a matter of opinion and circumstance, some mothers adopting the abbreviation as early as four months, others keeping the graceful sweep of long drapery twice that time. The season, too, must be consulted. It is not advisable to expose the little creature to the chance of taking cold in the severity of winter, or the inclemency of fall and spring. But somewhere between the ages of four and eight months the newcomer seems to crave a freer use of limb than the swaddling clothes will permit; and the disposition to creep about the carpet which now becomes developed, is also impeded by them.

Many mothers lay aside the long dresses, and procure an entirely new wardrobe, which should be made up, save the skirt, much after the fashion of those for which we have already given directions. Others think it easier to tuck up the skirts, and, if need be, widen the waists of the dresses already in use. It is decided economy to keep a child in white until it is a year old. It then always looks neat and clean, and its clothes are easily taken care of. Bird's-eye aprons, made to come a little below the waist, will be found most serviceable, much more so than cambric or gingham. The ma terial may be somewhat expensive at first, but it wears better than any other, and, when washed, always has a fresh, sweet look, appreciated, though perhaps not understood, by all fathers and uncles expected to kiss and admire. It is never in good taste to have aprons much trimmed; the neck may have its narrow edge of embroidery, but nothing more is needed.

For outside garments, there is the summer and winter cloak, the cap and hood. Caps seem now to be altogether the style for a child of a year old

and under; indeed, some mothers retain them after they are old enough to go toddling along by the nurse's side. Those most in use are of spotted Grecian net, fitting the head well, and lined throughout with a silk of some delicate shade. The border is a double ruche, also of wash or silk illusion, and the trimming consists of large rosettes, on one or both sides, composed of very narrow satin ribbon of the same hue as the lining. Blue is the favorite color; but a straw or pink tint is not unfrequently seen. For ordinary country wear, there is a neat drawn muslin cape bonnet, that can be washed and starched, and is never in any danger of spoiling. It is made of plain or drawn muslin, or cambric; the sharer the material the better, in our opinion. The brim is somewhat stiffened by cords, the crown plain and slightly elevated, with a bow at the back, of the same. For little girls of two years, white and blue silk drawn hats, of close cottage shape, are made, or light fancy straws. For boys, leghorn flats, with a narrow, rolling brim, are now in season, trimmed with a straw band and tassels, or white satin ribbon and small feather. There is also a straw cap that is very becoming for boys a little older, and less expensive flats of China pearl, plain braid, etc. We shall note the change in the fall, to felt hats and velvet caps, of Oakford or Genin patterns.

Very pretty summer cloaks for infants are made of white muslin or cambric, with a long, full skirt, and a round hood, lined with silk, instead of a cape. They will be found very convenient; and we have seen one at Miss Wharton's rooms, ordered for the South, of exquisite embroidered muslin, lined throughout with white Florence silk. The hood was also embroidered with a wreath, and drawn up with a broad bow and pendants of white pearl-edged ribbon. The edge was trimmed with costly Valenciennes, and the whole effect was wonderfully airy and delicate.

Winter cloaks are composed mostly of plain-colored cashmeres and merinos, embroidered either in braid or silk. The cost at a furnishing store is from ten to twenty-five dollars, according to the richness of material and decoration. A favorite style is a cloak made in the ordinary way, with a sacque with sleeves over it, that can also be removed Fig. 1.