Amusing and Instructive.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 345, 29 January 1866, Page 1

Amusing and Instructive.

What 18 Gossip f — We are often asked," what is gossip?” We answer, in a general way, that it is talking of persons rather than of things. Nothing shows the paucity of ideas mote than this talking about the affairs of your neighbours. It is not only malicious people who originate scandal, it is now narrow-minded people, ignorant people, stupid people. Persons of culture and intelligence are not so hard run for topics of conversation. They can usually find something to say about art, literature, fashion, or society. The moment people begin to talk about their neighbours —of persons rather than of things —they are apt to degenerate into scandal; for where one speaks of the virtues of an acquaintance, a dozen expatiate on his or her shortcomings. And this brings us to speak of real culture, or what we consider to be such, at least. A cultivated person, in the highest sense of the terra, is not merely one who can talk of books, pictures, and other elevated subjects cf human interest. To be thoroughly cultivated, the heart, as well as the intellect, should be refined and enlarged. Sometimes we see women who, without education, yet having been born amiable, are never guilty of gossip.' Again, we see women, not naturally amiable, whom education has t aught to talk of things, not of persons. The perfect woman", in this respect, is one who is both amiable and educated. But education does nut always elevate people above the regions of gossip. A really bad heart is always malicious. The best advice we can give is the homely old adage, “ Mind your own business.” Very few of us ever know the whole truth about anything concerning a neighbor, and to speak of his, or her conduct, is usually to run the risk of being unjust. Much less should we talk of the motives of others. Very few of us know our ow r n motives, and to venture on discussing a neighbour’s motives is always impertinence, and often a real crime. Bad Tiiiii’EE.—Bad temper is often the result of unhappy organisation ; it frequently, however, 3ias a physicial cause, and a peevish child often often needs dieting more than correcting.- Some children are more prone to show temper than others, and sometimes on account of qualities which are valuable in themselves. For instance, a child of active temperament, sensative feeling, and eager purpose, is more likely to meet with constant jars, and rubs, than a dull, passive child ; and, if he is of an open nature, his inward irritation is immediately shown in bursts of passion. If you repress these ebullitions by scolding and punishment, you only increase the evil by changing passion into snlkiness. A cheerful, good-tem-pered tone of your own, a sympathy with his trouble whenever the trouble has arisen from no ill conduct on his part, are the best antidotes; but it would be better still to prevent beforehand all sources of annoyance. Never fear spoiling children by making them too happy. Happiness is the atmosphere in which all good affections grow • —the wholesome warmth necessary to make the heart-blood circulate heathiiy and freely ; unhappiness—the chilling pressure which produces here an inflammation, there an excrescence, and, worst of all, “ the mind’s green and yellow sickness”— ill-temper. The Aphis.— The following relative to the aphis, or cabbage blight, is from the Daylesford Gazette : —“ This destructive pest is just now very prevalent in gardens in this district. We have been repeatedly asked to publish some effectual remedy for this scourge. With this view we have given, at dillerent times, a great number of recipes from agricultural papers, though we are sorry to say when tried they have not accomplished the desired end. On inquiry from a gardener, the other day, how be produced such splendid cabbages, quite free from blight, and whether he had any objection to give the public the benefit of his experience, he replied, 4 Not the slightest, but the thing is so well known and has been so often published, that I think everybody knows it; yet it is not generally done, but it won’t do any harm to tell them over again. The secret of my success is, that I keep the plants growing as fast as possible by the constant application of liquid manure, and while young I keep a clutch or two of chickens, according to the size of the plot, with the hens Under coops, which I shelter from the weather, for any damp would kill oft' the chickens. Before adopting this plan I tried a great many things which I saw in the papers—among them the deduction of horehound, and the dilut ion of washing ■oda, but without success, and I believe there is no application that will kill the aphis withou destroying the plant as well. Chickens pick off the biiglit, and even take them from the inside, without injuring the plank”