they were damask-and how very appropriate they seemed. The bath, with its snug fold ing doors, I knew had not cost, plumber's bill and all, more than ten dollars. The toilet table, of an elegant form, and completely covered, I had no doubt was white pine, and cost half a dollar. The pictures on the wall were beautifully-tinted lithographs better, far better, than oil paintings I have seen in the houses of millionaires; yet they can be bought at Goupil's, or Williams & Stephens', for from three to five shillings, and a dollar a-piece had framed them. The floor had carpet that seemed to match every thing, with its small neat figure, and a light chamber color. It was a jewel of a room, in as perfect keeping in all its parts as if an artist had designed it. Leaving the little boy to his untroubled sleep, and giving directions to his bath, on his waking, we went into the other room, which was differently but just as neatly arranged. It might have answered for a parlor, only it had a cooking-stove, or an artist's studio, or a dining-room. It was hung with pictures-heads, historical pieces, and landscapes; all such as a man of taste could select, and buy cheap; but which, like good books, are invaluable. And, speaking of books, there was a hanging library on one side of the chimney, which a single glance assured me contained the very choicest treasures of the English tongue. The man went to a bureau, opened a drawer, and took out some money. "What is your fee, doctor?" he asked, holding the bills so as to select one to pay me. man. Now, I had made up my mind before I got half way up the stairs, that I might have to wait for my pay-perhaps never get it, but all this had changed. I could not, as I often do, inquire into the circumstances of the There he stood ready to pay me, with money enough; yet it was evident that he was a working man, and far from wealthy. I had nothing left but to name the lowest fee. "One dollar does not seem enough." said he. "You have saved my child's life, and have been at more trouble than merely to write a prescription." "Do you work for your living?" I said, hoping to solve the mystery. He smiled and held out his hand, which showed the unquestionable marks of honest toil. "You are a mechanic?" I said, willing to know more of him. "Take that," he said, placing a two dollar note in my hand, with a not-to-be refused air, "and I will gratify your curiosity; for there is no use in pretending that you are not a little curious." There was a hearty, respectful freedom about this that was irresistible. I put the note in my pocket, and the man going to a door which opened into a closet of moderate size, displayed the bench and tools of a shoemaker. "You must be an extraordinary workman," said I, looking around the room which seemed almost luxurious; but when I looked at each item I found it cost but very little. "No, nothing extra. I barely manage to earn a little over a dollar a day. Mary helps me some. With the housework to do, and our little boy to look after, she earns enough to make our wages average eight dollars a week. We began with nothing-we live as you see." All this comfort, this respectability, this almost luxury, for eight dollars a week! I expressed my surprise. "I should be very sorry if we spent so much," said he. "We not only manage to live on that, but have something laid up in the savings bank." "Will you have the goodness," said I, "just to explain to me how you do it?" for I was really anxious to know how a shoemaker and his wife, earning but eight dollars a week could live in comfort and elegance, and lay up money. " for you "With pleasure," he replied, may persuade others, no better off than I, to make the best of their situation." I took a chair which he handed me. We were seated, and his wife, after going to listen for a moment to the soft and measured breathings of little Willie, sat down to her sewing. My name," he said, "is William Carter. My father died when I was young, and I was bound out an apprentice to a shoemaker, with the usual provisions of schooling. I did as well as boys generally do at school; and as I was very fond of reading, made the most of my spare time and advantages of the Appren tice's Library. Probably the books that helped me most were the sensible writings of William Cobbett. Following the example, 1 determined to give myself a useful education, and I have to some extent succeeded. But a man's education is a life-long process; and the more I learn, the more I see before me." "I was hardly out of my time when I fell in love with Mary there, whom some people think very pretty, but whom I know to be very good." Mary looked up with such a bright loving smile, as to fully justify some people in their notion. "When I had been one year a journeyman and had laid up a few dollars, (for I had a strong motive to be saving) we were married. I boarded at her father's and she bound shoes 66 "I see; but I confess I do not understand it," said I, willing to hear him explain the economies of his modest and beautiful home. Well, it is simple enough. When Mary and I moved ourselves here and took possession, with a table, two chairs, a cooking stove, a saucepan or two, and a cot bed with a straw mattress, the first thing that we did was to hold a council of war. Now, Mary, my love," said I, "here we are. We have next to nothing, and we have every thing to get, and nobody but ourselves. "We found that we could, on an average, earn eight dollars a week. We determined to live as cheaply as possible, save all we could, and make ourselves a home. Our rent was a dollar a week-our fuel, light, waterrent and some little matters, a dollar more. We have allowed the same amount for our clothing, and buying the best things and keeping them carefully, we dress well enough for that. Even my wife is satisfied with her wardrobe, and finds that raw silk at six shillings a yard, is cheaper in the long run, than calico at a shilling. That makes three dollars a week, and we have still our living to pay for. That costs us, with three in our family, just one dollar a week more.' "One dollar a piece?" "No-one dollar for all. You seem surprised; but we have reckoned it over. It cost more at first, but now we have learned to live both better and cheaper-so that we have a clear surplus of four dollars a week after paying all expenses of rent, fire, light, clothing, and food. I do not count our luxuries, such as an evening at a concert, or a little treat to our friends, when we give a party." I know a smile came over my face, for he continued "Yes, give a party, and we have some pleasant ones, I assure you. Sometimes we have a dozen guests, which is quite enough for comfort, and our treat of chocolate, cakes, blanc mange, &c., costs us as much as two dollars; but this is not very often. Out of our surplus, which comes, you see, to two hundred dollars a year-we have bought all you see, and have money in the bank." I see it all," said I, "all but the living. Many a mechanic spends more than that for cigars, to say nothing of liquor. Pray tell me precisely how you live." "With pleasure. First of all then, I smoke no cigars and chew no tobacco, and Mary takes no snuff." Here the pleasant smile came in, but there was no interruption, for Mary seemed to think that her husband knew what he was about, and could talk without her aid. "I have not drank a glass of liquor since the day I was married; except a glass of wine about four times a year, on Christmas, New Year's, Fourth of July, and Willie's birth day. I had read enough physiology to make up my mind that tea and coffee contained no nutriment, and were poisonous beside; and I tried a vegetable diet long enough to like it better than a mixed one, and to find that it agreed with me better, and as we have read and experienced together, of course Mary thinks as I do." "But what do you eat and drink?" I asked, curious to see how far this self-taught philo. sopher had progressed in the laws of health. "Come this way and I will show you," he said, taking a light and leading the way into a capacious store room. "Here, first of all, is a mill, which costs me twelve shillings. It grinds all my grain, gives me the freshest and most beautiful meal, and saves tolls and profits. This is a barrel of wheat. I buy the best, and am sure that it is clean and good. It costs less than three cents a pound, and a pound of wheat a day, you know, is food enough for any man. We make it into bread, mush, pies, and cakes. Here is a barrel of potatoes. This is hominy. Here are some beans, a box of rice, tapioca, macaroni. Here is a barrel of apples, the best I I can find in Fulton market. Here is a box of sugar, and this is our butter jar. We take a quart of country milk a day; I buy the rest down town by the box or barrel, where I can get it best and cheapest. Making what we eat as mush or bread, and all made coarse, without bolting-and potatoes, or hominy, or rice, the staple, you can easily see that a dollar a week for provisions is not only ample, but allows of a healthy and even luxurious variety. For the rest, we eat greens, vegetables, fruit and berries in their season. the summer we have strawberries and peaches, as soon as they are ripe and good. Mary will get a dinner from these materials at the cost of a shilling better than the whole bill of fare at the Astor." In 'I was satisfied. Here was comfort, intelli- to walk on his knees the rest of his life. gence, taste, and modest luxury, all enjoyed by an humble mechanic, who knew how to live at the cost I have mentioned. How much useless complaining might be prevented, if all the working men of New York were as wise as William Carter. I never shook a man or woman by the hand with a more hearty respect than when I said "Good night" to this happy couple, who, in this expensive city are living in luxury and growing rich on eight dollars a week, and making the beach of a shoemaker a chair of practical philosophy. Reader, if you are inclined to profit by this little narrative, I need not write out any other moral, than the injunction of Scripture, "Go, and do likewise." When he saw that he must be reduced to this sad necessity, he remarked to some friends that he had never bowed the knee to God or man, but he should now have to humble himself in the sight of both. I have seen him often since his recovery, going about the village in this painful posture, and could not avoid feeling that he had been left to eat the fruit of his own doings and was a sad monument of the impotency of man, when he sets himself against the Almighty. From the day he resolved to dance six nights in succession, to grieve his pious minister for kindly warning the youth of his charge of the dissipating tendencies of that amusement, he was forever unable to step to the sound of the viol; and from the day on which he had impiously knelt to ridicule the prayer of his god THE MAN WHO RIDICULED PRAYER. y pastor, he had been doomed to go upon his BY REV. W. WISNER, D. D. knees till the close of his life. by signally punishing them in this world, others should take warning that they fall not under the same condemnation. It is a fearful thing to disregard the monitions of those whom God has set to watch for our souls, and give us warning from him; but when, in addition to this sin, we maliciously insult the Lord's messenger, and deride the very prayers which he is daily offering up for us, we ought to expect a severer punishment than that which falls upon ordinary transgressors. I would never rashly interpret the provi In a congregation with which the writer dences of God, but I love to study them; and was intimately acquainted, the pastor, at the when they speak as plain a language as they commencement of the winter amusements, did in this case, I feel that we should be bepreached a sermon against dancing. Though lying the Lord to say "that it was not He." he was a man of great prudence, and treated His providences, like his word, are designed the subject with great kindness and delicacy, for our instruction and admonition, and when yet a young physician, who was a prominent we see him rebuking presumptuous sins, leader in the dissipations of the place, was greatly offended, and swore that he would dance every night that week, to show his pastor that the young people were not to be influenced by his officious meddling with their concerns. In accordance with this resolution, he got his young associates together, and after kneeling down and offering a mock prayer, to ridicule his minister, he induced them to make arrangements to spend every night of that week in the ball-room. On Monday evening, the young people assembled to commence their week's dissipation, in accordance with the arrangements which had been made. Some time in the evening the doctor was sent for, to visit a sick man, who lived a few miles out of the village. Though the night was extremely cold, he started on horseback, with his silk stockings and dancing slippers on, to go and see his patient. Though he had no appearance of being intoxicated, and was perfectly acquainted with the road, yet he missed his way, and wander ing round in an untraveled path, where the snow was deep, for some time, he was thrown from his horse, and the next morning was found near the road which he had left, crawling upon his hands and knees in the snow. He was taken home, and medical assistance immediately called in; but his lower limbs were so badly frozen, that after great suffering, he was obliged to have them amputated just below the knee joints. He ultimately recovered his general health, but was obliged from PRESERVING GATHERED FLOWERS. - For the benefit of our lady readers, we copy an Eastern paper the following receipt for preserving the beauty of gathered flowers: Porcure a flat dish of porcelain, into which pour water; place upon a vase of flowers, and over the vase a bell glass, with its rim in the water. The air that surrounds the flowers, being confined beneath the bell glass, is constantly moist with water, that rises into it in the form of vapor. As fast as the water becomes condensed it runs down the side of the bell glass into the dish; and if means be taken to enclose the water on the outside of the bell glass, so as to prevent it evaporating into the air of the sitting room, the atmosphere around the flowers is continually damp. The plan is designated the "Hopean Apparatus." The experiment may be tried on a small scale by inverting a tumbler over a rose-bud in a saucer of water." |