Sweet oil is a cure for the poisonous bite of serpents, spiders, &c.;
also for being poisoned by ivy and dogwood. Bathe the part bitten or
affected, and take a teaspoonful internally. If a horse is affected, it
will require eight times as much to affect him. All persons sensitive
to poison whenever they visit the woods, on their return should wash
hands and face in vinegar and salt, and take camphor inwardly.
=HOME READING.=
The subject of reading cannot be omitted in a work devoted to the
interests of the home. Books have such a large share in developing
and sustaining the home life, that their influence can hardly be
exaggerated. At the same time it is not possible, in a comprehensive
work like this, to treat of the subject as its importance demands. We
can only throw out a few general hints, which may be suggestive to some.
In the first place, we would say to all young persons into whose hands
this book may come, _read something daily_. And by this we mean, not
the careless looking through a novel for the amusement of a leisure
hour, but the faithful, thorough mastery of another’s thought. It is
of less consequence that that thought should be new, or specially
valuable, than that the habit should be formed of intelligent reading.
A poor book well read will usually teach a young person more than a
good one read carelessly. We are not saying, let it be understood,
that a book should always be read from beginning to end; there is a
habit of quick perception of the general tone and value of a book,
which, to a student in search of facts for special use, is of the
greatest assistance; but this comes later. The power of attention and
concentration should first be gained. And for this purpose, secondly,
it is important that you should _form an opinion of what you have
read_. Never lay aside a book until you can state intelligibly the
author’s purpose and meaning in it, and how far, as it appears to you,
that purpose has been attained. It is an excellent plan to write a
short abstract of the plot of a story, or the facts of a biography;
but whether this is done or not, do not be contented to let what you
have read pass through the mind like water through a sieve. Compel
everything to yield you some tribute of suggestion, if not of direct
instruction. Do not be satisfied with anything less than a definite
opinion; if you are in the wrong, the correction of a maturer mind will
help you to judge more truly the next time.
_Do not confine yourself to one kind of reading._ If you are fond of
novels, that is no reason why you should read them exclusively. Perhaps
acquaintance with a different class of books may develop a taste for
them; at anyrate you cannot afford to read entirely for amusement.
It is neither our province nor our wish to condemn novel-reading;
the excessive practice of it will, we believe, be best checked by
acquaintance with books of greater value. There are histories as varied
in incident as any novel. There are books of travel which combine the
romance of adventure with the instruction of facts. There is poetry
in all its forms, without some knowledge of whose best examples your
education cannot be considered even passable. The fact is rather that
there is so much of each class, which a cultivated person is expected
to be familiar with, that the great difficulty is in selection. In
order that you may divide your time profitably among these different
studies, it is well to take the advice of some competent person as to
_what is the best book for your purpose on a given subject_. In this
manner you will save much time and patience, while if you take up the
first book on the topic in question which comes to hand, you may, by
an injudicious choice, lose your interest in the whole matter. On
any historical question, for instance, it is better to read at first
an author who gives a concise and general view of the events of the
period, and afterwards those entering more minutely into details.
It is well, too, before intrusting yourself to the guidance of any
historian, to ascertain the estimation in which he is held by competent
critics, that you may thus understand how to separate the truth from
exaggeration and special pleading.
_Have several kinds of reading for every day._ Do not give yourself up
entirely to one class of books at a time, or you will either tire of
them, or your judgment will become confused in regard to them. It is
well to have some book of history, or travels, or metaphysics, another
on religious subjects, and a third for entertainment simply--a _good_
novel, if possible.
In this way much more knowledge is gained without fatigue, than when
the mind is kept exclusively to one theme.
_Committing to memory a few lines every day_, is a habit which cannot
be too strongly urged. It need not be made a tedious matter, by giving
up one’s whole time and attention to it as a study; it can best be
done when walking, or sewing, or engaged in household work, and will
become, after a little, a pleasure instead of a task. Besides the
daily acquisition of something worth remembering, there will be gained
also a power quite as valuable, of observing the characteristics and
style of various authors, the delicate differences of words, and the
construction of sentences. It may safely be said that those writers who
have been most celebrated for beauty and perspicuity of style, have
owed this, in no small degree, to the early habit of committing to
memory the works of the best authors.
In conclusion, we would beg our young readers to make friends of books.
They will cheer many an hour that would otherwise be lonely; they are
kind, ever ready, yet unobtrusive comforters in perplexity or sorrow;
they represent that which is best and truest in all ages, and are the
highest expression of itself, of which humanity is capable.
=THE SICK ROOM.=
We cannot leave this book without giving a few simple rules for nursing
the sick. Most of our young people, and many old, are ignorant of the
commonest principles.
Never wear a rustling dress or creaking shoes in waiting on the sick.
Be careful not to shake the bed, or fidget near it, so as to touch,
disturb, and needlessly fatigue the invalid. Few noises are more
irritating in sickness than noise from the grate. The startling effect
of putting on coals may destroy the effect of an opiate. It is better
to put them on one by one. In voice and manner be _gentle_, and in
spirit _cheerful_ and _hopeful_. Do not depress by tears, but control
looks, words, and actions. Say nothing in the room, or even outside
the door, which you would not wish the sick to hear. Ask questions
but rarely, and never occasion a needless effort to gratify your own
curiosity. In giving nourishment with a spoon, be careful to raise the
bowl of the spoon so as not to drop anything, or annoy the sick person
by untidy feeding. Be sure to have cups, spoons, and glasses clean.
Make everything as attractive as you can from the nicety and freshness
of the dish. Do not allow jellies or rejected dainties to remain in
the room. The time may come to any boy or girl when they may desire
to watch by a sick bed of a parent or friend, and the above rules may
assist them.
If the sick person should take a dislike to you, be not disheartened at
it; but if possible resign your place by the bedside. It may be that
you were clumsy, and awkward, or over-anxious. It may be only one of
those unaccountable fancies which sometimes takes possession of the
sufferer, and which it is our duty to treat with care and consideration.