Litchfield enquirer., 1852-01-08
LTrCHFIELD. CONN., THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1852.

OiSS q AiHO W quarter HIdStSt SIauS HIOs
and supply, laid up in the cellar at ct
times in the year. The daughters, that
in factory days, would go abroad to join
the female CONSUMPTION of the cotton mill
will be kept in the home factory, or in
that of some other family, and SO in the
retreats Of domestic life. And SO it will
be seen, that form of life which includes
almost every point of economy, centers
round the article Of homespun dress, and
is by that determined. Given the fact
that people spin their own dress, and
YOU have III that fact whole volume of
characteristics. They may be shepherds
dwelling in tents, or they may build
them fixed habitations, but the distinc>
ton given will show them to be people
who are not in trade, whose life centers
in the family, home bred in their man
ners, primitive and simple in their char
acter, infexible in their piety. hospitable
without show, intelligent without refine.
ment. And So it will be seen that eur
homespun fathers and mothers made a
Puritan Arcadia among these hills, an
swering to the picture which Polybius
himself, an Arcadan, gave of his country
men, when he said that they had through
out Greece, a high and honorable repu-
tation; not only on account of hospitali-
ty to strangers, and thei benevolence to,
wards all men, but especially on account
Of their piety towards the Divine Being"
Thus, if We speak Of what, in the po-
lite world, is called society, our home
spun age had just none of it-and per-
haps the mole Of society for that reason;
because wha! they had was separate from
all TIE polite fictions and empty conven.
,ionalities of the world. l speak not here
of the rude and promiscuous gatherings
connected so often with low and vulgar
excuses; the military trainings, the husk-
ings, the raisings, commonly ended with
wrestling match. These were their
designations, and perhaps they were about
rs good as any. The apple-pearing and
quilting frolies. you may set down, it you
will. as the polka dances end masquer.
AIDES of homespun. If they undertook a
formal entertainment Of any kind. it was
commonly stiff and quite unsuccessful.
But when some two queens of the spin
die, specially fond OF each other. instead
of calling back ami forth with card case
in their hand, agreed 10 "join works." as
it was called. for week or two, in spin
ming. enlivening their talk by the rival
tuzz of their wheels and, when the two
skeins were done. spending the rest OF
the day in such kind Of recreation ne plea
sed them, this to them was real society,
and, SO far, a good type Of all the socie.
" they had. II was the society not Of
the Nominalists, but Of the Realists; So
ciety in or after work; spontaneously ga
thered, for the most part, in terms Of
elective affinity-foot excursions Of young
people, or excursions on horseback after
the haying. to the tops Of the neighbor-
ing mountains boatings on the river or
the lake. by moonlight, filling the wood
ed shores and the recesses Of the hills
with lively echoes; evening schools Of
sacred music, in which the music is not
so much sacred as preparing to be; eve
ming circles Of young persons, falling to.
together, as they imagine. by accident,
round some village queen Of song. and
chasing away the time in ballads and
glees SO much faster than they wish that
just such another accident is like to hap
pen soon neighbors called in to mec
the minister and talk of both worlds to-
gether, and, if he Is timber enough L
suffer it, in such happy mixtures, tina
both are melted into one.
But most of all to be remembered arr
those friendly circles, gathered so otter
round the winters fre--not the stove
but the FIRE, the brightly blazing, hospi
table fire. In the early dusk. the home
circle is drawn more closely and quietly
round it; but good neighbor and bis
wife drop in shortly, from over the way.
and the circle begins to spread. Next.
a few young folk from the other end Of
the village, entering into blisker mood,
find as many more chairs set in as wcdg-
es into the peripheryto receive them also.
And then friendly sleigh full of old and
young, that have come down from the
hill to spend an hour or two. spread the
circle again, moving it still farther back
from the fire; and the FIRE blazes Just as
much higher and more brightly. having
new stick added for every guest. There
is no restraint, certainly no affectation OF
style. They tell stories, they laugh, they
sing. They are serious and gay by turns,
or the young folks go on with some play,
while the fathers and mothers are discus
sing some hard point of theology in the
minister's last sermon or perhaps the
great danger coming to sound morals
from the multiplication of turnpikes and
newspapers Meantime, the good house
wife brings out her choice stock Of home
grown exotics gathered from three realms
donghnuts from the pantry. hickory nuts
from the chamber. and the incest, SIN both
est apples from the cellar; all which. in-
cluding, ! suppose must add. the rath-
er unpoetic beverage that gave its acid
smack to the ancient host,itality. are dis