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WASHING RECEIPTS.

on a warm hearth for a day or two, till all the dirt is. drawn out, renewing the lather every day. When quite clean, it must be partly dried in the sun upon the bottle, then taken off and pinned out carefully on a pillow, using separate pins for every point or scallop. Let it remain till perfectly dry, when it may be unpinned and put by. It must not be starched or ironed.

To Wash a White Lace Dress or Veil.

If a dress, it must be unpicked from the gathers, and the flounces taken off. It must then be put into a strong white soap-lather, and simmered over the fire for a quarter of an hour, then taken out, squeezed, but never rubbed. Afterwards rinsed in two cold waters, with a little blue in the last.

The lace may then be passed through some rice-water, and cleared by clapping. It must be pinned out on a clean linen, perfectly straight, to dry, and afterwards, covered with muslin, it may be ironed on the wrong side. Lace sleeves may be washed in the same way, but should first be opened that they may be dried flat.

To Whiten Linen that has become Yellow.

Cut up a pound of fine white soap into a gallon of milk, and hang it over the fire in a wash-kettle. When the soap has entirely melted, put in the linen, and boil it half an hour. Then take it out; have ready a lather of soap and warm water, wash the linen in it, and then rinse it through two cold waters, with a very little blue in the last.

To Wash Printed Dresses.

Bran-water is excellent for washing light calico dresses. Boil a sufficiency of wheat bran in a large kettle, strain

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off the water, and use it for the dress, cooling it to lukewarm heat with a little cold water. It will require no soap, and will prevent the colours from running. Wash the dress through two bran-waters, then rinse it in cold water.

To Wash a Light Printed Dress.

Tie up in two muslin bags a half-pint of rice, and boil it in two quarts of water till perfectly soft. Mix the rice-water with that which you use for the dress. Take no soap, but rub on the rice in the bags, using one for the first and one for the second water.

To Wash or Clean Swansdown.

Make a strong lather of the best white soap and lukewarm water; hot water will shrink the skin of the swansdown. Work and squeeze the swansdown through the suds, but do not rub it. Then do the same through a second lukewarm suds, and persist till you see that the article looks clean and white. Afterwards rinse it through two waters (the first lukewarm the second cold), squeezing it carefully. Then shake it out and dry it in the sun or by the fire, holding it in your hands and shaking it all the time, to prevent it looking matted or in tufts.

When but little soiled, you may clean swansdown in the following manner, without washing it:-Powder some plaster of Paris as finely as possible, sift it through a fine sieve, and then heat it over the fire. When the powder is quite warm, but not burning hot, lay the swansdown in a large clean metal pan (heated also), and sift the powder over it through a sieve, turning the swansdown about, and seeing that that the powder is dispersed well through it. Repeat the process till the swansdown looks very white, then take it out, and shake off the loose powder.

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MACINTOSH CLOAK.

To Clean a Macintosh Cloak or Coat.

Dip the cloak first in cold water, then with a flat scrubbing-brush and soap, brush it over, spread out flat on a table, and as the soap appears to bring out the dirt, rinse the cloak through cold water, and rub again. Then rinse it several times through clean cold water, but never wring it, nor use warm water. Hang it up to drain and dry in the air; it must not be brought near a fire.

CHAPTER VII.

The duties of a mother-The nursery and its management-Infants -Air and exercise--Amusements and instruction-Diet-Accidents and disorders - Various directions to the nurse in sickness, &c.

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THE health, the education, the future prosperity, even the eternal happiness of children, depend greatly on the vigorous and virtuous efforts of the mother. The father may, in all probability, have weighty duties to engross his time and thoughts; the most important duty of the mother is attention to her children. The authority of the father may command their respect, but it remains for the mother to win them to the path of knowledge, of morality, and of piety, by incessant lessons of love.

It does not require great learning, great severity, or a great sacrifice of time, to govern children well. The first grand principle is to secure perfect obedience at the very earliest age, after which every lesson must be effective.

In that position of life where the demands of society engross a large portion of the time of a lady, it is absolutely incumbent on her, at any expense, to procure a confidential nurse.

The nurse is the most important servant of the family. To her charge the health, the intellect, even the very lives of the young are committed, the most valuable property of her employers, the loss of which cannot be repaired. She should be firm, but gentle, cheerful, healthy, faithful to her trust, and above all, scrupulously truthful. Not only are these qualities absolutely necessary, in order that she may fulfil her duties, but they will conduce also to her own comfort and happiness.

There is a constant and minute attention required in

the nursery, because young children have wants which they cannot express, and sufferings of which they cannot complain; they are surrounded by dangers, and are unable to defend themselves.

A well-ordered nursery is one of the most beautiful pictures of social life. A group of affectionate and obedient children, truthful even when in error, and pious from example as well as instruction, seem happily prepared for the trials of the world, and the nurse who can thus fulfil her duty ought to be wholly trusted and highly valued.

There is no possibility of peace or salutary rule in the nursery, if the affection of the children be not first secured by the firmness, good temper, and cheerfulness of the nurse. This law of love must extend through her domain; the children should be led to love one another with perfect love; a dispute or a quarrel should be regarded with horror as a violation of the laws of God; and evil passions should be weeded from the heart before they become deep-rooted.

Thus by force of gentle precept and good example, undisturbed harmony may prevail in the nursery, and many a man may have good cause to bless and honour the nurse who first taught him forbearance, and the perfect law of charity.

If it be necessary to employ a young girl about the children, it is incumbent on the mother and the upper nurse to attend carefully to her conduct and habits, till they are convinced she is trustworthy. She must be charged, above all things, to be strictly true in all her dealings with the children. She must be cautious in making promises to them, for however inconvenient, they must be fulfilled. Judicious parents will not hesitate to appropriate convenient and airy rooms for the nursery apartment. There should be one sleeping and one sitting-room at least, if they can by any means be spared, for the health of children cannot be preserved in confined, close rooms. Light is also necessary; and a pleasant