Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1849-02-02
The Quilting party.

meath the feet of the spoiler. We fear that
the glorious days ofNew England have gone
by: that the characteristics of her children
have departed; that the Injuries and the vi
ces and the fashions of strangers, have usurp-
ed the beautiful planness and simplicity, the
freedom. the generosity and bravery of New
England "A false and evil spirit has gone
over the land, undermining the foundation
of her strength, and despoing her real beau
ty; looping away the noble oaks Of her for
ests, the rough featured but useful products
OF her own soil; to give place to the grace
lul but worthless exotic. 1t has penetrated
everywhere; from the The thronged village
to the isolated farm house; and the plough
has been exchanged for the ensicna of pro-
fesslonal life, and the spinning wheel for
the piano.
IT'S an evil; we fear there is no going
back to our original ground. Strange that
the young farmer, he whose association of
OF LIES purest and dearest enjoyments are
with the homesteads Of his ancestors, should
so readily leave the beaten and proven track
OF honorable industry for the uncertainty
and danger and Notifications of more fash
ionable pursuits. Strange That he can thus
leave the hills and streams of his bovhood,
the blue skies that bent like blessing above
his childhood, the sanctuary of his neigh
bors, the playmates ofhis infancy, the com
panlons of his opening manhood, and the
very graves of his fathers? Where will he
again find the deep affection of the friends
he is leaving? Where again will the eve
of love beam so kindly on him, and where
will the grasp of friendship be rs warm and
as sincere as his own loved birthplace?
Does he hope 10 find them in the gay circle
OF fashionable folly Miserable will be his
disappointment. For him there will be
vexation, and changing hope, and fear,
Slight, Indignation, resentment and hate,
confidence misplaced, and vows broken, and
affection outraged. 1t is in the solitude and
awful beauty of nature, that heart answers
10 heart, thrilling with passionate touch
the mysterious chord of human sympathy.
rather than in the artificial beauty and the
heated atmosphere of fashionable exist
ence.
Reader! were you ever at a Quilting
Party-an old fashioned quilting party!
llnot, you will do well to read our descrIp-
tOll vi COuISC IdllS ldE SHORT OF Illo re-
allty; and this reality, as the thing is now
nearly obsolete, you may never have the sat-
Islactlon OF Witnessing. IFS one of the
pleasentest things in the whole round of a
country life to attend to one of these gather
ings together of the young, and light heart
ed. Let 1t be understood in the first place
that these cuttings were indispensable.-
The quilts, &c. must be made the girls
must have their things ready as the phrase
Isl or they will assuredly meet with no at
tentlon from the marriage>seeking young
men. The preparation of The requisites of
domestic life is a sort of implied declaration
of readiness TO receive the addresses of the
lover, and to encounter the perils of matri-
mony, and is understood and acted upon
accordingly.
When a quilting is TO take place, the re-
spectacle young ladies of the neighhorhood
are all invited there is no aristocracy; no
singing out of favored individuals. They
assemble early at the house of their friend,
and Immediately fall to work, as if their life
depended on their eXertions. They consid-
er ii absolutely necessary to forward their
work in such manner as to prevent any
material cncroachmentupo the hiIarity and
mirth of the evening. The evening is all
ways looked forward TO with great deal
OF satisfaction, and many fine eye glances
impatienty at the slowly setting sun, whose
tardiness seems to mock the leyerish anti
cipaion Of the fair quiltcrs.
Night at length comes; New England
winter night-lor the Cuttings are usually
in the long evenings OF winter-with its gor-
geous skins, clear, beautifully clear in the
dark coloring of the sky, moonlight resting
like smile upon the white luster Of the
snow, streaming through the naked branch
cs of the wild forest trees, and flushing like
pale fires upon the distant icy hills. The
merry sound of bells now rings upon the
ears of the fair listeners within DOORS
1.-The fellows are commng," cries some
eager voice, and sudden smile steals like
electricity around the apartment. There
is moment of rapid preparation, hasty
glanclnS at the small mirror, a trembling adj
justment of curlS and combs-and then all
are seated demurely at work. One after
another the fellows" arrive, until the APP
partment is literally, crowded with as mer-
ry company as ever laughed away an
evening. The girls however, still remain
perseveringIy at their work, their fair heads
STOPPING almost to the outslreched quilt
before them, now and then, exchanging a
sly glance. or 4 smart reply, or a meaning
| nod, with the fine, healthy booking genlle~
men around them. They are soon interrup-
ted, one complains OF the loss of her thim>
BILE, another that her thread has been taken
away, and another that the fellows plague
her so that she wont work nor touch to-"
and in few moments Babel-l!ke confusion
is effected, very much to the satisfaction of
all parties. The owner of The guilt now in
terleres. and carefully removes the quilting
frame, blushing all the while at the good ma
tured Jokes of the young men relative 10
herself, her quilt, and her lover, who-if
she is so fortunate as to have one-is pretty
sure to be present. The scene IS now all
life and saieiy. In one part of the room
may be seen the student OF the old village
Doctor, amusing astonishing by his quota
tons of Latin--and laughing at tie amaze