Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 May 1882 — Page 2

LEON’S VISION. “Death! wlui,ls death! A locked and aacred thin*. Guarded 4T swogfls of hidden aprinj— A fabled frdlt—that I should there endure As if the world around me held no cure. Where not spread free wings!” Thus reasoned Leon as he raised the cup, •"Life is a problem, and I give it up This fluid colorless, shall be to me A speedy passport to eternity, •Life’s not worth living in this homely way, There are no joys, the sorrows to Tepav And naught to hope for, I will not endure When I < * an bring the end so swift and sure, Why ahonld I, through long years bear my lot, "Yet hold the sword tnat cuts the gordian knot. . <7 .He raised the cup, ere he could drajn it dry, A rushing, ruslliug sound seemed drawing nigh, He turned, a radient Vision floated down—- , Fair golder hair that swept below a crown, She wore a robe of shimmering, spotless white In her bine eyes there shone a pitying light, A voice as sweet as those we hear in dreams When life aafl love is all that either seems . Spoka sadly thus “Oh Leon why so rash Hatinife been such a burden, Fate a lash 'That counsels, deeds like this! And woulds thou see The added weight of voe and misery Thou wouldst thus brieg to those thou lovest best, | J3y this one deed, to gain unquiet rest! Now look and listen.” And with bated breath ‘ ’Ho saw himself lockedlo the arms of death, Saw his mother, sister, and the wild deep grief And he was powerless to bring relief, lie saw a shadow fall and knew full w r ell Ue’could avert the sorrow ere it fell Were he alive again. But now, oh Ileavon! By his own hand the hardest blow was given. Ho groaned aloud. The angel spake again: "What! Doth the sight cause thee such fitter pain! When that is but a trifle thou hast seen. Now look and 6<*c the glorious might have ' boon.” And lo! he saw himself still striving on. ” The flowers were blooming—he walked not alone, A slender form was standing at his side, To share his lot, whatever might betide, While in the distance, waiting to be worn, Hinting of glorious things,there hung aero wnt “Jhou now hast seen, and, Leon, wilt tliou now To adverse winds anil circumstances bow!” “Thank God I see.” And Leon stood alone, The guardian angel had so quickly flown, He conquered Fate, and so my friend may’s thou,’ Altho’ dark elouds may shade thy pathway now. JENNIE LITTLE.

VISIT TO A HAREM.

The Homo of a Wealthy Algerine. And Description of the Inmates and Their Mode of Life. Hamoud is the name of a handsome middle-aged Moor whose acquaintance we made in the legitimate transactions of trade. He is a distiller of •orange flower water and other perfumes, and the inventor of a superior kind of lemonade and other effervescent beverages. By dint of a thrift and enterprise not generally possessed ■by his countrymen he has acquired a handsome property, and is quite able to keep in regal style the four wives that the korau permits to a man of means. Whether he avails himself of this privilege 1 never found out, feeling a delicacy in introducing the subject. Be that as it may, he has a house big enough for a dozen, as we found out when we accepted his courteous invitation to visit his ‘‘family.” “Us” means a party of ladies. No gentleman is invited into the sacred precincts; and it would be as much as his life were worth to attempt to gam in an’eutrance without it. 1 have been in many MOORISH HOUSES since, both bigger and smaller, better and worse "but as they are all built on the same general plan a description of one is a description of all,making allowance for the variations in size and costliness of materials, according to the means of the owner. The exterior of these dwellings—except in the case of the rural palaces, which are often marvels of architecture and ornamentation—give a very inadequate idea of the elegance and richness of the interior. Presumptively, among these people, a woman’s utter seclusion ana strict surveillance are the only safeguard of her husband’s honor; a home, to be a man’s paradise, must be a woman’s prison. Hence their houses are mere piles of blank whitewashed walls, unbroken by doors or windows or ornamental galleries. Hamoud’s house, though in the ' French quarter, was so shut in and •overtopped by its neighbors and made to look so like a big whitewashed ■barn on the only side that was to be ■seen that it was with some difficulty that we found it. The only entrance was through a great cedar wood door studded with bross nails and set withadeep archway. Through this, preceded by a French female servant, we passed into a vestibule furnished with atone seats. This is where the master of the l ouse receives his male guests. Beyond this a passage led into a large marble paved court, within a fountain of running water in the center, and huge tropical plants set around it in pots. Children weje playing about the court, and within the rooms opening from it a gaily ■dressed negro servants were busied about var ous household occupations. ■One was pounding coffee in a mortar, anottuprisorting oranges, a third Ailing bottles from a cask. The rooms <m the ground floor'Vre not used as tfwellih g rooms, butks kitchens, store rooms, bath rooms, and servants’ rooms. All around the court was

AN ARCADE formed by arches and twisted mar pie columns, which supported a gallery above. A flight of tiled stairs landed us ia this gallery, whioh was pawed and wainscoted with ornamental tiles of many colors and patterns, and protected by a beautifully carved wooden railing joining the pillars and arches which supported another gallery above. Arched niches in the waifs held vases of flowers or potted plants. The whole court was open to the sky, the four walls inclosing it—perhaps some 12 or 14 feet in depth—containing the different apartments of the family. In the summer time an awning is stretched over the top to shut out the rays of the sun. The servantxstopped before the open folding doors of one of the apartments, and pus Ling aside a heavy silken curtain that fell from ceiling to floor, motioned us to enter. Within, seated on the cushions on the floor with a brazier of red-hot charcoal in their midst, was a little GROUP OF MOORISH LADIES, apparently callers, like ourselves, but from motives of friendship rather curiosity. Divested of their outer robes, which make them look in the street like so many white bolsters, they displayed a richness of attire and a blaze of jewelry that can only be seen among orientals—and, which, indeed, can only be worn by orientals. Out from this circle of splendor the lady of the house rose and coming forward greeted the new-comers with an easy grace. We had learned the proper formula on such occasions—the “Salaam Aleicum!” with the right hand pressed upon the hSkrt, and the head gracefuliy inclined—and, after the reciprocal salutation had passed around the circle, we seated ourselves, at the invitation of our hostess, on the silken cushions that were strewn about on the floor, and addressed ouyselves to the business of being entertained. THE ROOM was heavy with aromatic odors and its few furnishings were of the most luxurious order. The only light that was admitted was through the staiued glass of small, deeply recessed,and stoutly barred windows that looked out on the court. The door and windows were bordered with beautifully variegated tiles, and a band of the same decorated the white washed walls, occasional arched niches in the wails displayed some rare treasure of oriental art. quaint pottery, and ivory ohests inlaid with silver. The ceiling was beautifully sculptured and richly frescoed. Against the outer wall were placed luxurious cushioned divans for reclining; and on the tiled floor were laid Turkey rugs, with cushions of different sizes for seats. Not a chair or a table, a mirror or a book, The whole formed a rich setting for the bejeweled central group. Our new acquaintances’ limited French, and our moie limited Arabic, precluded the possibility of much intelligent vocal conversation; but the eastern ladies were easy and unembarrassed, and the western were curious and interested, and by a sort of

FEMININE FREE-MASONRY, a mutual understanding was soon established and a good deal of information was got and given on bcth sides. We were introduced to the sixmonths’ bride of one of Hammond’s sons, a rather heavy-featured, sleepyeyed lady, who was heavily loaded with gold and silver ornaments, and who wore above her white trousers a green brocaded jacket trimmed with gold lace, a brilliant-hued silken robe over her shoulders, and a gold-work-ed scarf twisted among her black tresses, No wonder she looked sleepy and heavy, for since the day when Hamoud ben Hamoud brought her home to his father’s patriarchal establishment she had never seen the ight of day, or breathed the fresh air, excpt as she got it in the open court- For a year after marriage the Moorish woman keeps strictly within doors, excluded even from appearing on the terrace, the favorite evening resort of the women in summer time. A sprightly, black eyed little girl of nine or ten years of age. whe wore a coquettish little suit of white cloth trimmed with blue velvet, was ALREADY BETROTHED. we were told and was to be married in two years. Poor little wife! married to a man she never saw and old enough to be her grandfather; a mother before her own baby days are over; the slave of brutal lust and caprice; a thing to be scorned and crushed and heaten; a woman, drilled in the arts of cunning and deceit and intrigue,when she should be only gxileless romping child; did she have any foreshaaowings, I wonder, of the future that was before her? But while we mused and moralized a huge negress, black as the ace of spaias, and arrayed in gorgeous apparel, came in, bearing a silver, tray of c »flee and sweetmeats. Among these people however ignorant they may be on points if western etiquette the ancient rite of. HOSPITALITY is never neglected. The negress set the tray down on the floor before her mistress, who proceeded to pour the aromatic fluid into the little delicate china cups set in small silver stands like an egg cup and to pass them with her own bauds to her guests. This Moorish c< flee, sweeteiied, but drunk without milk, dark, and thick like chocolate, is of exquisite flavor and aroma. The Moor is very fastidit us about his coffee, be ing forbidden wine and strong drinks he concentrates his epicurean tastes on coffee. He drinks only the finest Mocha. The various processes of prep-aration-roasting, grinding and distilling—are conducted with the greatest care; while he would as soon think of reviling the Prophet as he would of introducing chichry, or even a baser grade of coffee into the decoction.. In the meanest and dirti-

est case maure one may be always sure of getting g * , f A bayaluup of coffee. He vsejAea, also, a mild infusion of the heib, with a slighted opt unpleasant tincture of nutmeg init, Dut coffee Is the main staple and joy of his existence. The delicacies which were passed with the coffee were also of home manufacture —some sort of canded fruits flavored with rose water and very pleasant to the palate. About the time that we had finished our coffee another fantastically dressed negress appeared on the scene to announce the arrival of the Moorish visitors’ carriage (a Moorish lady of high degree is seldom or never seen in the streets on foot,) where upon the ladies speedily transformed themselves into bolsters by means of baiks. adjars and yashmaks, adroitly adjusted v\ ith silver pins and brooch; donned their slippers,which they had left on the mat outside when they cama in, made their parting saluta tions and rolled off, foilawed by their black servant, her glory hidden under a long blue checked robe. Where - ever these negresses come from they are certainly the MOST INTENSELY UGLY and monstrously ill-shapen beings I have ever seen. The Ethiopian orour southern states, in his worst type, is angel of light beside them. We remained to be shown over other apartments, and to be introduced to other branches of the family. The rooms occupied by the sons’ wives were furnished much «»s the reception room, with the exception that a bed stood in a sort of alcove at one end of the room, curtained off with rich silken hangings. In one of these rooms a young woman, with the face of a madonna, and the great, mournful pathetic eyes jhat belong to some dumb animals, sat on the floor nursing a baby, while a black-eyed boy of five or six years of age frisked and capered about her. She seemed rather glad to see strangers, and was disposed to be communicative. How many children had she? Only one, Mohammed, here. It had pleased Allah to take the other one to himself. The baby? Oh, yes, there was the baby; but that was ONLY A GIRL, that didn’t count—her explanations being interpolated with sundry mild adjurations to the youthful Mohammed, which, being interpreted, would be, I suppose, “Now, Mohammed, do be a good boy. Don’t you see the ladies are looking at you ? I shall have to tell your father if you don’t behave yourself.” In spite of which Mohammed kept on teasing the baby and pounding the floor, and making camels of the cushions, after the same fashion as our American Johnnies and Charlies do when “company” comes and they are expected to be on their good behavior. And in the meantime the baby laughed and crowed and kicked as babies will, happily unconscious of its misfortune in not being born a boy, aud held out its chubby little hands to be taken, and won all our hearts by its pretty wiles and ways. For a baby is a baby the world over, thank God! whether it be a mohammedan Fatima or a Christian Grace. And this baby’s smiles and kisses, and the soft touch of the little hands were sweet to me for the sake of my sunny haired baby so many thousand miles away, and for the sake of that other fair haired baby that sleeps in "Woodmere. • •

THE TERRACE, or flat roof of the house, as of all Moorish houses, is one of its pleasantest features. It commands a magnificent view of the harbor and shipping, the town and country, and the mountains in the distance. 'Under the Turkish rule these terraces were reserved for the women alone. Who used to visit each other by climbing over the parapets that separated the houses. These Moorish houses are evidently built on the same general plan that Syrian houses were 2,000 years ago. Standing here on the terrace and looking down into the court below, it is very easy to understand the scripture story that used to puzzle some of us as children, of how, when the palsied man could not be taken into the court where Jesus was preaching through the house, on account of th# crowd, his bearers took him to the top of the house —a thing which could be easily done through a neighboring house —and “uncovering the roof,” let him down “into the

midst.”

Gallantry: A New Yorker took his friend, an Irishman, to the theater. Immediately In front of tnem sat a young lady with a hat' on that measured several feet from tip to tip. When the curtain rose and the play began the two men could only get ocy casional glimpses of the stage bt. dodging round the corners of the hasFioally the New Yorker observed tes. tily: “Confound a woman who ha* no more sense than to J wear such a Swiss cottage roof at a place of public amusement!” “Go aisy,” said the gallant Celt; “a moighty convainyance she’d be in a hot climate where there Were n<x trees.”—Brooklyn Eagl A story of a button: “Rosalind, my dear,” said her mother who was sweeping out the front hallway. “Does this button belong to your father’s overcoat ?” “Let me see it. Oh, deai, no, ma! It comes from George’s overcoar. Isn’t it splendid?” “I don’t see anything so very splendid about it.” *'C(h, why, ma! If you were only young and such a very nice young man like George should — should—” “Well, I shan’t have any more sucli work in this house. I’ve no objection to a little moderate hugging in the house, but young men ckn’t hug their overcoat buttons oft in my ballway, not .Tjapch.” And Rosalind went to her boudoir to indulge in a weep.—New Haven It giater. .

The cattle showing for fexks is no smaJHtei*. .Th*Ofel CQ*ntxiall&6r 4,464,000 head. The estimated value of these is about S4O 0)0,000. As large a sum as $2,000 has recently been paid for Merino rambs, to go to the far west. Why does not Kentucky take a hafijl in this Merino business ? A Missouri Arm, Messrs. Gudgeli & Simpson, Pleasant Hill, have imported into the United States 150 head of Hereford, and -10 head of PoliedAngus cattle. Soap Suos for Currant Worms—Mr. B, Hurlbut, PortiaiM, Mich., ssys he knows by two \eu.r-’ successful experience that a dbsh of soap suds is death toe nratit wor ns. “Try it,” he tel s the Fruit R< curder, "‘in just such strength as will curl them in a secoud of lime,” He uses it very strong, and after it has served this good purpose ilie rains wash it down, and it acts as stimulant to the bushes. Bhoeing to Prev.-nt Interfering—l have the best succe-s in making the inside of the shoe the shortest, but this has not been satisfactory in all cases. I also turn the inside calk the heaviest, making it stand lengthwise of the shoe, or the same as a calk turned half around; then as I drawl incline it a little under. I take care not to let the shoe lay out past the hoof toward the heel. I find that many horses interfere behind on that account.—[Blacksmith aud Wheelright. •>• Enrich the Ground—A good many crops will be put in this season, to be harvested early, and the land seeded to grass. Now when this is to be done it pays to manure heavily. You can’t get a good first crop without some manure, and grass has got to have lots of manure beneath it to yield good crops for several years. There is mu6h of science in agficulture, but the farmer who has an abundance of good barnyard manure, and isu’t afraid to“sock it on,” is pretty sure to get satisfactory results.—New England Homestead.

This Wet Weather—Oh, I know Just how lots of you feel. AH that corn ground to plow and can’t get a team on to the land, Wet all last fall and no plowing done. Hay getting scarce, corn high and can’t do a lick of work with the teams. New don’t you wish most of your farm was down to tame grass? More showers then only makes more grass, cattle then all getting their living. This is now the lOth'if April. My fields and pastures are green and young stock and sheep can do well on the grass. Let it rain, who cares?—L. S. Coffin. Preserving Potatoes—Preserving potatoes for the table in sunctmer by slightly heating the surface and thus destroying the eyes, was recently suggested in the New England Farmer as a method worthy of experiment. Mr. J. G. Adams, Green county, Pa., writes the New York Tribune that the plan is practised in his county to a considerable extent. The eyes are destroyed by simply pouring scalding water over the tubers, which are then immediately dried and put away when “they will keep indefinitely.” Mr. Adams says he knows whereof he speaks, for being engaged in the grocery business he has bought and sold potatoes treated by this process repeatedly. It is not too late for housekeepers to give the germ destroying process a trial the present season. Carrots—Carrots thrive best in rather light loam. The ground should be well manured with fine, well rotted or composed manure, six or eight cords to the acre, and be thoroughly worked quite deep, by two plowings made at right angles with each other. Also cultivate find drag if there are any lumps, and then rake level, burying all remaining lumps and stones. Plant in rows 14 inches apart, and thin plants three to five inches in the row. Plant from the middle of April to the middle of May, to insure crop; though good success is often met with if planted as iate as the 10th of June. As the dry spells which sometimes prevails at that season are apt either to prevent the germination of the seed or to burn the plants as soon as they appear above ground, it is therefore advisable to increase the quantity of seed, which under the circumstances will give the crop a better chance. Keep very cleaD of weeds.—Am. Cultivator. Bean Growing—The land for beans should be plowed early and worked over once or twice before planting time, so as to kill the weeds and get it in good condition. The best time to plant I have found to be from the first to the tenth of June, and 1 prefer to plant as soon after a rain as the land will work well. Ido not like to have a heavy rain fall on them before they come up, for two reasons. One is that they are likely to be crippled and not come up well, if the land is clay; and the other reason is that a crop of weeds will come up and start with them. I use from half a bushel to three pecks of seeds to the acre, and prefer to sow with the force feed wheat drill, using every foarth drill, which makes thu rows about two feet apart. This I consider wide enough for the Navy beau, but some of the large varieties I should plant 82 inohes apart. I can planl| three rows at a time with the wheat drill at the first named distance. The beans do not need much cultivation, as when planted close they soon shade the ground so that nothing else can grow; but it will pay to run through them with a cultivator as soon as they are large enough and after each heavy rain until they shade the ground. In an nidinary season two cultivations will be enough, while in some seasons they may need three or four workings.

E. B. S.

BRIEF FARM TOPICS.

ALL SORTS OF JOKES.

{‘lndifferent: Cnstoiaer—“Give me somerflshlA Waiter—‘lwhmt will you take, sir, blueflsh?” Customer—“lt makes no difference; T’m color-blind. The mistake they make: The conceited Britishers claim we have bo literature of our own. They don’t know anything about our circus posters, evidently. Somewhat uncertain: What is your income?” was once asked of a noted Perisian Bohemain. “It is hard to tell,” was the reply, “but In "good years I can borrow at least 10,000 frances.” <* A love story in four lines: “I want to bite you,” said he. “What for?” said she. “Kase I love you,” said he —is a part of a conversation we overheard a few days ago by a couple in our town. The deaf man’s bride: A deaf man lately married was asked at the club: “Is she pretty ?” “No,” replied the deaf gentleman. “No she isnot but she will be when her father dies.” Meteorological: Sophronia-*-“Can sudden rainstorms in summer be foietold by the weather prophets?” They could, probably, if they knew the dates on which Sunday-school picnics would beJield.— Could take his choice: She had been in this country only a short time, coming from the Eriietald Isle, so her employer was not surprised when she casually asked if he’d have his eggs boiled in hot or cold water. A matter of fire: Brown pointed his gun at a panridge; the cap snapped and the bird flew off. “Just my confound luck!” exclaimed Brown: “miss fire every time.” “Have patience,” counseled Fogg: “you may have better luck in another world.” Two lines of thought; “Do you ever use glasses?” politely asked an old lady of an elderly English gentleman who was seated beside her in the railway car. “Hi never, does,” answered the phlegmatic Briton “Hi halways takes mine hin a pewter mug.” A matter of necessity: “Yes sir,” said Brown, “if there is one thing more than another that I am proud of, it is this, that, I always keqp my word.” “Very true,.” replied Fogg; “but how can you help it, you know? Did you ever know anybody who would take it?” Fashion items: Miss Brown, wha is no longer young, was chiding Miss Moire for her foolishness in carrying a parasol, which Miss Brown said was useless and a piece of affection. “I never carry a parasol,” she said. “No,” replied Miss Moire, “people on the shady side of life have no use for them.” * Accommodatiops for six: Moee Schamburg has been annoyed by burglars prowling about his residence on the upper end of Austin avenue. Yesterday he went into a gunshop to buy a pistol. “What kind of a weapon do you want?” “1 would like one,” said Mose, “Mit accommodations lor six burglars.

A mystery explained: “Lawrence, my dear,” said his wife, wreathed in smiles,. “I wish you had been to church this morniug. Mr. Jones was very interested, and when he prayed for the absent ones—” “Well that accounts for it, then. I haven’t caught such a string of fish for a year as I did this morning.” Circus incident: A young man who went to the ciicus and stepped too* near a monkey’s cage had his arm seized ahd savagely jerked by one of the monkeys. He would have escaped safely, if he had not said, “It is merely a monkey-wrench,” but when they heard that the infuriated crowd threw him into the lion’s den. A reminder: There is a story told of a very consequential head waiter who observing a man tie his napkin around his neck preparatory to commencing his meal, went up to him and said. “You have made a mistake, sir; this isn’t a barber shop.” It was a very good rebuke, but it cost the head waiter his situation. Wouldn’t miss him: “Look heah, Squire, dah’s a niggar in Galveston wnat’s been sassin me; supposin’l juet maul de life outer him?” The lawyer replied: “You would be apt ■o get your neck stretched.” “Now joss, you is jokin. What do white folks care for one nigger moah or less now de census is done took?” Post obit: Mrs. Malloy—“Sure, Mrs McGinnis, an’ it’s rather poorly ye looking this morning.” Mrs. McGinnis—“Indeed, thin, Mrs. Malloy, an it’s good raison I’m havin’ to loolf poorly. Here’s the postman just been to the doore to tell me there’s a dead letter waitin’ fur me at the post office an’ I can’t fur the life of me think who it is that’s dead.”Carried hist point: A youth to fortune and to fame unknown sends Dumas the manusoript of a new play, asked the great dramatist to become his collaborates. Dumas is for a moment petrified, then seizes his pen and replies: “How dare you, sir, propose to yoke together a horse and an ass?” The author, by return ol post: “How dare you, sir, call me a horse?” Dumas, by next mail: “Send me your play, my young friend.” He wanted It stronger.: An old toper cphadlairied to a doctor that the ardent failed to exhilarate his spirits. The doctor, knowing the inordinate nature of his appetite, told him he had better try aquafortis. A short timelrftorward he was surprised by another visit from the individual, who told him that the aquafortis did very well at first, but it was not strong enough. “I say, doctor,” said he, “don’t you think a little aqua flfies would about fix it?”