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THIS elegant and most useful work is very easy in its execution, while the means and appliances for its performance are within the reach of every one. The materials are simply yellow withered leaves, a little dissolved gum, black paint, and copal varnish; while the objects to be ornamented may be a box, cupboard, table, &c., in fact, any old furniture that has been rendered unsightly by age or long use. A plain deal box, costing about a shilling, may by this process, so far as the outside goes, be converted into a costly-looking dressing-case. An exquisite chessboard may be made, with very little skill, from a square piece of deal. Flower-pots, pole-screens, folding and hand-screens, may all be decorated in this manner, and, from untidy-looking lumber, may be converted into articles of use, elegance, and beauty; and this at a merely nominal expense, taste being the chief requisite in the production. The employment forms one of the most agreeable and pleasing amusements for summer days and winter evenings; in the summer giving a purpose and an aim to many a joyous ramble, for in these desultory walks a goodly collection may be made of Nature's ambered jewels.

All leaves that are small, of uneven shape, and serrated at the edges, are well adapted for this work. As they are collected, they should be placed between sheets of paper, but not close together, then pressed by placing a board on the top, with a weight upon it, to express any moisture that may be therein, and to render them quite flat. In the autumn, the sweet-scented geranium-leaves, the maple, thorn,

chrysanthemum, wild parsley, fern, and a multitude of others may be found, including the smaller sycamore and small vine leaves; but they must all have turned of a golden hue, or reddish-tinted yellow. Prepare the article to be ornamented thus: First rub the surface smoothly down with sand-paper; then coat it over with black paint, which can be procured ready mixed at any oil-shop; when dry, rub it down smoothly with pumice-stone, and give two more coats. When these are dry, arrange the leaves on the surface in a careless manner, but not in groups, unless preferred. Butterflies, drawn and colored yellow with gamboge, or cut out of prints, and then colored, may be stuck at different spaces with advantage; but there should be no other color than the brown and different tints of yellow in the leaves. Gum the wrong side of the leaf, and press it on in its appointed place with a hard tuft of wadding, fastened tightly up in a piece of silk. Continue this with the whole of the leaves; and when they are all gummed on, dissolve some gelatine or isinglass in warm water, and while rather warm, brush it well over every portion of the work, using the brush entirely one way, not forward and back. When dry, give the work three coats of the best copal varnish, letting the article remain a day or two between each coat. This process, though elaborate in detail, is easily and even quickly done, and will well repay any trouble that may be taken, as, with a renewed coat of varnish every five or six years, it will remain, as long as the wood will hold together, as bright in appearance as when first finished.

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Materials.-Half ounce each of stone-color and shaded violet, 8-thread; half ounce of shaded amber, 4-thread Berlin wool; 4 yards of ordinary-sized blind or skirt-cord; 77 small curtain rings, the size measuring across five-eighths of an inch; Nos. 1 and 2 Penelope Hook; 2 bunches No. 6 steel beads.

With No. 1 hook, and drab wool, work 11 stitches de over the end of the cord; double in as small a circle as possible, unite, and work 2 stitches into every loop for three more rounds.

5th round.-1 stitch into every loop. 6th.-Increase 1 stitch in every 2d loop. There must be 72 stitches in this round.

7th.-Place a pin in every 9th loop, and in this same 9th loop work with 8-thread violet, 1 stitch; then 9 stitches drab in the next 8 loops, that is, increasing 1 stitch in about the 4th loop; repeat this all round.

8th.-Work 3 stitches violet into the 1 violet stitch; then 9 stitches drab, working only 8 stitches in the last compartment, to commence next row.

9th. In the last drab stitch that was not worked into, work 1 violet stitch; then 4 more violet; then 7 drab, increasing 1 in 4th stitch; in the last compartment make only 2 drab after the increased stitch, in order to make 8 violet in next round.

10th. S violet, the 1st to come before the 5th violet of last row, and the last to come after the 5th

violet, but increasing 1 violet on the 5th stitch; then 7 drab, increasing one in the 4th drab stitch. 11th. All violet, increasing 1 in every 5th stitch. 12th. All violet, but without increasing, unless required.

The diameter of the mat should now measure six inches across; but, should it be required larger, another row of cord, or even two, will give the increased size.

Now de under all the rings, about 30 to 32 stitches for each ring are necessary; unite and tie the knot very neatly, and sew six of these rings round a 7th, sewing them with cotton the color, and sewing them at the parts where each ring is joined, about 6 stitches in length; be careful that no stitches are seen on the right side; then sew steel beads round the centre ring, taking up five to six beads at a time on the needle; then place the needle between the joinings of the rings, take upon it about 35 beads, and draw the cotton across to the opposite point; repeat this twice more, the beads will then form as given in engraving; sew the circles of rings on to the mat by two of the rings, and sew the circles together by one ring. Any other color beside amber will do for the rings. If the table-cover is scarlet, green wool should be used; if blue, amber; or if green, scarlet or pink.

EDITORS' TABLE.

In the March number, we made an "Appeal to American Christians on behalf of the 'Ladies' Medical Missionary Society of Philadelphia." "

We are highly gratified by the reception given to our Appeal. The public, generally, received it with favor, as almost daily letters evince. It has been noticed kindly, and republished, in part or wholly, in many public journals and newspapers.* A large number of clergymen, eminent in station, talents, and piety, have written to express their interest in the movement, and offer their co-operation. We shall, in a future number, give extracts from these interesting letters. Now we will introduce the opinions of two ladies, whose merits and influence are well known to our readers.

Letter from Mrs. L. H. Sigourney, dated Hartford, Conn., January 7, 1852:

"The excellence of the design of the 'Ladies' Medical Missionary Society of Philadelphia,' as well as the institution of that nature (N. E. Fem. Med. Col.) established in Boston, approves itself to wise and thoughtful judges, as not only congenial to the capacity and sphere of woman, but as a measure of patriotism and philanthropy. I am, therefore, happy to comply with your request to become one of its patrons.”

Letter of Mrs. Frances M. Hill.-The second letter is from that Christian lady so highly distinguished for her long and able services in the Mission School, established by the American Protestant Episcopal Church, at Athens, Greece. Her letter is dated March 26, 1852:

"Your kind note of January last, together with the 'Appeal on behalf of the Ladies' Medical Missionary Society,' reached me some weeks since, but numerous engagements have prevented me from replying to it sooner. The 'Appeal' itself exhibits so fully the numerous reasons which make the acquisition of Medical Science for Women highly desirable, that it is quite unnecessary for me to add anything more on the subject. There can be little doubt but that such knowledge would greatly increase the sphere of usefulness to every female missionary. Perhaps a simple statement of my own experience may serve as an encouragement to those whose minds have been turned to the consideration of this subject.

"In the early stage of our missionary career,† a knowledge of medicine would have been a great benefit, both as

The "Appeal" has also been republished, with many commendations, in "Sharpe's London Magazine" for March, and widely circulated in England. We have received most cheering sympathy, encouragement, and approval, reaching us from the intelligent and influential of the Old World as well as the New. It is, indeed, true, as the Committee of the Legislature of Massachusetts say, in their Report on Female Medical Education:

"The public journals, having had occasion to allude to or discuss the subject, have with great unanimity given their influence in favor of the movement, many of them expressing their views in the strongest terms of approval."

Rev. John Hill and his wife, Frances M. Hill, were sent to Greece in 1832, where they have ever since remained.

it respected ourselves and those around us. As it was, the little quackery which we must, more or less, become acquainted with, gave us a great reputation. A simple cathartic; a decoction of aniseed or liquorice for a cough; and, above all, a solution of sulphate of zinc for the eyes, have been attended with such beneficial effects, that my reputation in the healing art is fully established; and I find it difficult to evade the importunities to engage in higher practice. Even when physicians are, as now, numerous, and very good ones, too (all of whom pay great attention to the medical wants of the poor), I find, among a certain class, that the teacher's prescription' is held in higher estimation than that of the regular practitioner; and sometimes our own physician, who is somewhat facetious, threatens to arraign me for practising without a diploma, pretending to be jealous of the confidence I have gained over the ignorant and superstitious, which science has, as yet, failed to obtain.

"As it may be gratifying to you to learn how far your views respecting female midwivos have been sanctioned by modern practice (the ancient practice was entirely in the hands of women, all writers allow), I must inform you that among the first institutions provided for by government, after the establishment of the kingdom of Greece, was one for midwifery. The native practitioners-all femaleswere compelled to attend. A well-instructed, and, in all respects, well-qualified woman, who had studied in Italy, was placed at the head of this institution.

"Young women who could read were sought for, and inducements offered to them to become midwives. Some of the older pupils from our school entered, have since completed their studies, and are among the regular practitioners in this branch. Male physicians are only called upon in cases of great emergency, and this is rather to give testimony that the case has been properly conducted than from any personal practice they may render.

"Some time since, the advantage of having Female Physicians for Protestant Missions was presented to me by reading the account of the Institution of Kaiserswerth* (on the Rhine), sent me by a young friend who had previously been spending some weeks with us. The Institution at Kaiserswerth, under the direction of the Rev. Pastor Fleidner, prepares pious young women for various departments of missionary operations. The study of medicine forms a part of this preparation. The graduates of this Institution are set apart for their work, and receive the title of Deaconesses. Some of these have been sent to our own country, and have an institution at Pittsburg. In the spring of last year, Mr. Hill met four of these Deaconesses on the steamer between Corfu and Syra; they were accompanied by the good Pastor Fleidner, and were on their way to Jerusalem, to take charge of a hospital which the King of Prussia has founded at an expense of $50,000.

"We have heard of them recently, and learn that the effort has been attended with great success, and promises to be a most important aid in facilitating the operations of the missionary on that most interesting spot. I hope

*See Fredrika Bremer's article on this Institution, in the "Lady's Book" for June.

these details may prove encouraging to all engaged in the execution of the plan; there can be no doubt that a wellqualified female physician must be a great advantage to all missionary stations.”

Mrs. Hill's letter needs no comment. It must carry the conviction to every unprejudiced mind, that medical science is a proper study for woman-is the science for which the sex is peculiarly fitted; and that as missionaries, women, when thus qualified, may render most essential service in the cause of humanity and the advancement of Christian morals in heathen lands. Men can never gain access to the homes and harems where the women and children of Eastern nations dwell. If these poor, ignorant ones are healed and taught, it must be done by pious Christian women. Therefore, we feel sure our readers will rejoice to learn that the two Colleges alluded to in our March number are prospering greatly. The late Report (April 14, 1852) of the Massachusetts Legislature, in favor of granting $10,000 to aid the Institution in Boston, holds this language: "Considered in its various features of usefulness, the institution conducted and sustained by the Female Medical Education Society, it appears to us, must rank among the most important educational establishments in the State; and it certainly appears to be a suitable and desirable object for legislative encouragement."

It is greatly to be desired that Pennsylvania, either by legislative aid or private donations, should contribute to build up the Female Medical College in this city, as the New England people are encouraging their own institution of the like design.

The Boston "Medical and Surgical Journal," the organ of the profession in New England, suggests to physicians the expediency of co-operating in carrying out the clearly expressed wishes of the public.

Surely the physicians of Philadelphia will be as magnanimous in lending their approval and encouragement.

WE here subjoin two poems written for our "Book," the first by a Greek gentleman, for several years a resident in our republic; the other by a German, author of the work on "German Literature" noticed in our March number.

ALABAMA.-A SONNET.

BY ALEXANDER PANTOLEON.

FROM her Olympian and Castalian home,
My muse to Alabama's clime doth roam;
Where Helicon-no-Chunneenuggee soars,
And, for Ilissus, Chizeenoxee pours!

To Locheepoko turkey sportsmen go,
And where magnolias cheer Escambia's flow;
Where Coosa under giant pines bears trade,
And swoll'n Tombigby rolls in live oak shade.
Towards Tennessee ride hunters of the fawn;
They leave Wedowee with the opening dawn:
Red men from Talladega there are gone.

How hushed, betwixt Tuscumbia and Mobile, The savage warwhoop! while the Saxon's wheel And Lybia's banjo ring their merry peal! Lafayette, Ala., April 9, 1852.

The New England Female Medical College in Boston, and the Pennsylvania Female Medical College in Philadelphia. The third session of this College commences September 13. Those young ladies who wish to attend may address their letters to David J. Johnson, M. D., 229 Arch Street, Philadelphia.

THE HEART.

BY FRANTZ A. MOSCHZISKER.

LONELY! most lonely, is the human heart,
If from the God most holy it depart!
Each object then, however dear in life-
Wealth, friends, and children, even the lovely wife-
All that is prized by worldlings as their pleasure-
Is but a shadow of the heavenly treasure.

God is the heart's sure refuge when afflicted,
Though in the sight of men we stand convicted:
They may condemn us innocent, untried;
But, if the heart be true and sanctified,
Ne'er can our hope from happiness be riven,
For peace, the heavenly peace, to us is given.
But oh! how desolate and dark the heart,
If from this holy faith it should depart!
Nor can the Infidel be made to feel

Till God his loving mercies doth reveal.
If sin in thy dark heart hath made its bed,
Destroy it by the blood which Christ for thee hath shed.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.-The following articles are accepted: "Woman in her Social Relations," "The Lady of Haddon Hall," "Stanzas," "Herbert Leslie," "To my little Edward," "Fun in Earnest," "The Soldier's Dream of Home," "Recollections," &c., "To Sabina," and "You cannot bind his wing."

The following pieces are not wanted: "Pains of Fancy," "Scenes in Paris," "Country Winds," "Night and Morning," "Sabbath Reflections," "Solitude," "Ernest Essenberger," "A Vision," "To-Morrow," "An Indian War Song," "Ah, why so sad?" "The Lone Heart," "Wanderings," and "Melancholy."

We have not had time to examine all the articles sent last month, but shall report them in August,

OUR TREASURY.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF GRAMMAR.

BY LADY MORGAN.

I ASKED the question, should I say "everybody is gone out only I," or "only me?" and was answered "only I," because "only I" means "I alone"-" remain," being understood.

Had I used the conjunction "but," instead of "only," the proper construction would have been the same, because "but" means "be out," or, in more modern phrase, "I being out of the question." The modern "but," said my informant, represents two distinct words, both imperatives. When it stands for "be out," it is the precise equivalent of "except," derived from the Latin. Sometimes it is used for the imperative of an obsolete verb, signifying to add, which is now retained only in the infinitive, "to boot." Let us look for an instance: here is one in Sir Charles Grandison, which lies open before me. Harriet Byron writes, after some preliminary reflections, "But, why should I torment myself? what must be, will." The interpretation of the passage is this: to what I have already said, boot (or, in modern English, add) this second thought, that what must be, will; and, therefore, why should I torment myself? These two are the only real meanings of that Proteus-like conjunction; and one or other will explain all Johnson's hundred instances, scarcely one of which he understood properly. Johnson's industry was unwearied, but his research trifling. Authority, and not analysis, was its object. Authority belonged to his

day, inquiry to ours: so adieu to learning-and hey! for knowledge-d bas les savans! et vive le savoir!

Alas! it makes one's head ache to look over this grammatical jargon: I wrote my first twenty volumes without much troubling my head on the subject. But now "the schoolmaster is abroad;" that is, he is at home-with meand my march of intellect goes on without ever budging from the fireside. "Mon voyage autour de ma cheminée," would not be the least intellectual book I ever wrote. And yet my dear Mr. Colburn would not give me £20 for all the grammar that I may write for the rest of my life; though I rivalled in etymological philosophy "The Diversions of Purley."

Before I drop grammar-what a droll pun is that of the grammarian presenting his book to the Académie, after the Duke de had advanced his pretensions to be elected one of the quarante, on the score of his illustrious ancestors. "Je suis ici pour mon grand-père," said the duke. "Je suis ici pour ma GRAMMAIRE," said his ignoble philological competitor.

By the by, grammar is the last thing that should be placed in the hands of children, as containing the most abstract and metaphysical propositions, utterly beyond their powers of comprehension; putting them to unnecessary torture; giving them the habit of taking words for things, and exercising their memory at the expense of their iudgment. But this is the original sin of education, in all its branches.

BEAUTY.

BY ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING. THE essence of all Beauty I call Love. The attribute, the evidence, the end, The consummation, to the inward sense, Of beauty apprehended from without, I still call love. As form, when colorless, Is nothing to the eye: that pine-tree there, Without its black and green, being all a blank; So, without Love, is Beauty undiscerned In man or angel.

Literary Notices.

From HENRY CAREY BAIRD (successor to E. L. Carey), S. E. Corner of Market and Fifth Streets, Philadelphia:THE PRACTICAL MODEL CALCULATOR, for the Engineer, Mechanic, Machinist, Manufacturer of Enginework, Naval Architect, Miner, and Millwright. By Oliver Byrne, Civil, Military, and Mechanical Engineer. Mr. Byrne is the author of a number of practical works relating to the duties of machinists, mechanics, and engineers, all of which have been highly appreciated and warmly commended by those best able to judge of their merits.

THE ASSAYER'S GUIDE; or, Practical Directions to Assayers, Miners, and Smelters, for the Tests and Assays, by Heat and by Wet Process, of the Ores of all the Principal Metals, and of Gold and Silver Coins and Alloys. By Oscar M. Lieber, late Geologist to the State of Mississippi. A very useful book in this metallic, mining, and smelting age.

From LIPPINCOTT, GRAMBO & Co. (successors to Grigg & Elliot), No. 14 North Fourth Street, Philadelphia:ROMANCE OF NATURAL HISTORY; or, Wild Scenes and Wild Hunters. By C. W. Webber, author of "Shot in the Eye," "Old Hicks, the Guide," etc. etc. This is an elegant volume of six hundred clearly-printed pages. The style of the author is vigorous, and well adapted to the ex

citing incidents and wild scenery he describes. The work is handsomely illustrated, and, in all respects, is creditable alike to the author and his publishers.

LIFE OF LORD JEFFREY. With a Selection from his Correspondence. By Lord Cockburn, one of the Judges of the Court of Sessions in Scotland. In two volumes. The life and correspondence of Francis Jeffrey will naturally excite the attention and curiosity of literary men in every quarter of the world. He who, when living, was esteemed as the greatest of British critics, when dead cannot be forgotten, having left behind him a record as imperishable as the history and the monuments of his country. The work appears to have been written with great care and equal candor, attributing to Lord Jeffrey nothing that was not true of him, and, at the same time, exposing some of the "clap-traps" through which indiscreet friends aimed to elevate his reputation. The biographer assures us that, out of many hundreds of letters that he had seen, "there was scarcely three lines that might not be read with propriety to any sensitive lady, or to any fastidious clergyman."

From CHARLES SCRIBNER, New York, through LIPPINCOTT, GRAMBO & CO., Philadelphia:

PYNNSHURST: his Wanderings and Ways of Things. The poetical language, the incidents, and the characters introduced by the author, Donald MacLeod, are all calculated to rivet the attention of the reader.

From LINDSAY & BLAKISTON, Philadelphia:HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE, from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar to the Present Time. With illustrative notes, chronological chart of the kings of England, tables of cotemporary sovereigns, and a table descriptive of the present condition of Great Britain. The authoress tells us that this work has been written in verse under the impres sion that the facts referred to will be more readily retained in the memory than had they been written in prose. We hope she will not be disappointed in her anticipations, her object being praiseworthy.

From M. W. DODD, New York, through LINDSAY & BLAKISTON, Philadelphia:

REVOLUTIONARY MEMORIALS, embracing Poems by the Rev. Wheeler Case, published in 1778, and an Appendix, containing Burgoyne's Proclamation (in burlesque), dated June 23, 1777. A late Authentic Account of the Death of Miss Jane M'Crea. The American Hero, a Sapphic Ode, by Nat. Niles, A. M., etc. Edited by the Rev. Stephen Dodd, of East Haven, Conn. As in certain quarters, and among a certain class of authors, there appears to be a disposition prevailing to smooth over the tyranny which preceded the American Revolution, and even to conceal many of the cruelties which followed that event, as instigated and prac tised by the enemies of freedom, we look upon this little memorial as worthy of more than ordinary consideration. The time for hatred and revenge has happily passed away; but that is no reason why we should cease to remember the causes which produced the separation from the mother country, and which eventually gave rise to our republican system of government.

From HARPER & BROTHERS, New York, through LINDSAY & BLAKISTON, Philadelphia:

THE HOWADJI IN SYRIA. By George Curtis, author of "Nile Notes." A very interesting volume, abounding in graphic and spirited sketches of eastern scenery and eastern manners.

NOTES, EXPLANATORY AND PRACTICAL, ON THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS. By Albert Barnes. This vol ume, we believe, is the sixteenth and last of the author's

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