The Cecil Whig., 1871-08-05
Mrs. Kate Hunnibee'S Diary.


Physical Development in Children more In
p0rtdnt than IltellectudI-PeelingP Peaches
-Pickled Peaches-C Charlotte Of Peaches.
Though no season of the year brings
more labor to the housekeeper than this,
the good wives of Busydale leave their cans,
their preserving kettles, their churns and
chickens, to discuss the theories they are
constantly putting in practice. Mrs. Bland
brought her baby. Mrs. Tremaine busted
her fingers with finishing little shirt she
had knitted on her machine. Mrs. Lester
crocheted on an afghan for Marion's baby
carriage. Work and talk went on together.
| A letter was read from Mrs. Thomson,
of Massachusetts,, who says: "My son
James is a very bright and promising lad,
ardently devoted to his books, but delicate
in health. Shall 1 remove him entirely
from school, or will it be prudent to reduce
the number of his studies and let him con-
tinue at the Academy?'
Mrs. Lester.-This lad is only one of a
thousand all over the land, who are culti-
waiting their brains at the expense of their
muscles. When will parents learn that
sound thinking can come only from sound
dgestion that when the stomach is wrong,
the brain cannot be right; that enfeebled
circulation means weakness of purpose;
that overwrought nerves induce intemper-
ance, insanity, suicide; that the air of nine
school rooms out of ten, probably ninety
nine out of hundred, is little better than
poison?
Aunt Betsey.-Ef good digestion, an
warm feet, an firm nerves, an pure air
make great men an women, l think l
ought to be famous, but l ant.
Mrs. Lester.-I have thought thousand
times that Aunt Betsey's sturdy, cheerful
good sense is as much the result of her
perfect physical health as Of the fine facul
ties we all know God gave her at her birth.
But am fresh and in earnest on this sub
ject. DR.. Lester and talked this very
matter over last night. Go back to Plato:
he was man Of splendid physical health
not trace of infrmity in the lines of
that noble face. Socrates was vigorous to
the flower of their time. The mightiest
man in the Old Testament is Moses. At
one hundred and twenty years of age his
natural strength was not abated; he had a
sound body. In modern times, the men
who have done most for our literature, our
philosophy, our science and art, were men
of firm health. Lord Bacon was most
careful of his body. Goethe, physically,
was the most splendid man of his genera
ton. Luther had most vi gorous consti-
tuition, so had Michael Angelo. What toll,
what hardship, what travel, could not
Humboldt endure! Let this mother, and
every mother, be most earnest in securing
for her children plain and wholesome food,
fresh air, exercise, and undisturbed sleep.
Mrs. Trcmaine.-You wouldn't close the
schools?
Mrs Lester.-No; but have yet to learn
that any human being is better off at
forty for having gone to school before eight
years of age. This shutting up little chill
dren from four to eight years old in school
rooms putting them on hard benches, at
wearsome tasks, compelling them to keep
quiet five and six mortal hours, seems to
me like the slaughter of the innocents.-
Let them frisk like the lambs under the
open sky; let them catch butterflies, make
dirt-pies, swing, build cob houses, and
gro,o. Four hours of strenuous, intellect
ual activity will exhaust the brain of a man,
and make rest necessary. A half-hour at
time is enough for child to study
Exercise, recreation, and amusement should
follow.
A letter was read from Mrs. Fuller,
detailing items of interest to us all, as
peaches are just now ripening. Her mode
of peeing is as follows: An ox-muzzle is
filled with peaches, then immersed in a
kettle of hot lye for two or three minutes,
taken out and rinsed in pail of clear
water. The skins peel off without any
trouble, leaving the peaches fair and smooth.
The length of time they must remain in
the lye depends on its strength. If they
are peeled with knife in the usual way,
the pit should first be removed and then
the skin. This will make great saving in
time.
Mrs. Cane sends US her recipe for
Picked PeacAes-Select smooth free
stones, stick them all over with cloves about
an inch apart, then boil them in syrup
made of two quarts of vinegar to three
pounds of sugar, and spiced with half an
ounce of mace and the same of allspice.-
| When pin slips in and out easily, they are
done. Remove them from the syrup; boil
! it few minutes longer. pour it over the
fruit, and set away to cool. Then fasten
thick paper over the top.
The same lady also gives her mode of
making
Charlotte of Peaches-Divide twenty
nearly ripe peaches, scald them i'll light
syrup, then drain and cut each half into
three pieces put these in pan, with a,
quarter of pound of powdered sugar, and
half the quantity of warm butter, fry five
minutes. Line the bottom and sides of a
well-buttered baking dish with thin slices
of bread, put in the peaches, and cover
with slices of bread soaked in warm milk
over all place plate, covering closely, and
bake slowly three hours. When in the dish
for the table, pour over the syrup in which
| the peaches were scalded and serve imme-
diately.-HearM amp Home.
EATING GREEN CoRN.-Last autumn
persons who wished to observe &" the pro-
prieties," inquired of us whsther it was
according to good usage to gnaw the corn
from the cob, or if it should be cut into the
plate. Generally though not always, mat
ters of table etiquette are founded in COM
mon sense. A bird can only be properly
enjoyed by picking it, hence good usage
sanctions the use of the fingers in removing
the flesh from the bones of bird, while
one who should take the bone of a beef.
steak, or mutton chop, in his fingers,
would be looked upon as illbred. The only