Year: 1879

One OF hemost difficult things on earth
to choose is a suitable wedding Gift. The
proper exercise ofingenuity in this direc-
ton depends somewhat on the taste of the
donor, somewhat on the condition of the
donors pocket, and to a very limited ex-
tent on what the bride is supposed to
want. The display Of presents at a stylish
wedding is an attraction which falls little
short of the miscellany of the museum.
Cream pitchers and napkin rings are nu-
merically in the ascendancy. The useful
and the ornamental are blended in alarm
ing variety and it is Il happy coincidence
that, as the articles are one by one added
to the museum, the delighted bride ex-
claims of each new arrival that 1t is the
very thing she has been signing for. II
was thus with lady who several years
ago became bride. One of her friends,
who had studied the catalogue Of napkin
rings, milk jugs, pickle forks and en-
broidered fans, concluded that none OF
these things would meet his views Of what
constituted a proper donation, and every
body would be likely to give them, he re-
solved to send as his tribute Of esteem a
square four-legged piano. When the cart
containing this instrument Of torture
backed up to the house the bride declared
that she had long wanted piano, and
that she had no doubt that this was the
very instrument for which she had been
sigEing. With its carved knees and its
glistening vanished case, 1t became a
thing Of beauty as part of the parlor
furniture in the newly equipped farm.
house.


There was but one thing in the way of
its becomming JOY forever. That was
the lack of musical education on the part
of the bride. She knew no more about
piano playing than Comanche squaw,
nor had she any desire to learn. Still she
admired the piano as nice piece of fur
niture, and would have kept it in the par
lor had not visiting friends frequently an
noyed her by asking her to play them
tune or two. But after while, weary OF
having to explain why she did not play on
this piece of furniture, and finding that
she only made her friends angry by asking
them in return to play on it when they
did not know how, she decided to wheel
the piano into the kitchen. In the parlor
it had only been ornamental. 1t should
now pay for It's house room, and become
useful. She would use its broad top for
an ironing table. For few weeks this
was partially successful. But the ignor-
anus who had built the piano had never
contemplated this use for it and had in
lack of 'OrethOught, made its top too high
to be conveniently used for such n purpose,
For chopping meat it answered better,
but the top was hardly solid enough. A
square piano is an unhandy piece OF fur
nlture for the kitchen. 1t takes up too
much room and is by no means as handy
as the old fashioned ironing table, which
by tipping backwards It's top becomes Il
settee or sofa on which the cook and her
cousin can sit and during the swiftly fly
ing hours of evening and courtship-
From the kitchen the wedding gift was
finally sent to the spring house, where the
milk pans are kept and the butter is
worked into those lucous yellow pound
Jumps of which epicures are so justly fond.


IL would seem that the piano had been
given in VAN, for who wants piano in
the spring house? But not so. 1t has
entered on a sphere of usefulness far dit
ferent from any ever dreamed of by lis
maker or lis oiver IFS owner. no longer
a bride, bnt n busv mother. surrounded
hv several cheerful children, uses the ton
o} that niano rs n table on which TO stamp
the print upon her butter. While she
stands at the back of the instrument
neatly preparing her merchandise for
market her little ones take possession of
the keyboard and play, If there is no
music in thpIr souls. there ia power in
their fists, They play, not by ear, nor vet
Inv note but bv main strength. THEY