Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1856-01-19
Oloell Timrs.
New Hampshire Fifty.Five Years Ago

Some gentleman Of the old school, says the
New England Farmer. has written out for
the New Hampshire Gazette his recollec-
tons Of Northampton Fifty-fve Years Ago
His story is quite an agreeable one, and we
have selected for our columns a few para
graphs that are Of more than local interest,
Illustrating as they do some Of the customs
prevalent in the Connecticut river towns, at
the commencement of the present century.
FooD-Bean porridge (the coffee and the
tea of our ancestors) had not wholly disap-
peared, but the use of tea. and Of something
unjustly suspected to be coffee, was general.
Wheat bread ("white bread" only to be used
on great occasions; in "fore-handed families"
the concluding slice was permitted from it.
Rye bread, and especially rye and Indian, or
"brown bread" was on every table. Indian"
was employed in every form. 1t was told to
us. that one morning in school, the master Or
dered every boy who had eaten hasty pudding
to rise, and all rose but one. When the soil
| tary was asked, he whimpered as an excuse
for his oddity. that dad could not get his
| grist, and so had to make his meal Of thick
| ened milk.
SEATING THE MEETING HoUsE.--"Seating
the meeting house" was an operation perform
ed by the select men annually in December,
and an awful time it used TO be. 1t was the
rule to set the "old folks in the body pews,'
! and the younger married ones in the wall
pews. 1t is never q graceful process to grow
old, and this open declaration Of old age, by
a change of seats, used to be manfully resist
ed, especially by the women. Besides. there
was a well understood conventional difference
in the responsibility of the seats. The sec
ord and third wall pews on each side of the
pnlpit were first in dignity and from thence
responsibility tapered off. The front pews
in the broad alley were given to the very old
people; the high pews, and front seats in
the side galleries were devoted to the young
fashionabes. 1t is easy to see what fruitful
source of "smal potato" quarrels would
arise from this usage. The regions of dignity
and selt-respect were exposed to sad invasions
and not year elapsed without some people
taking it so hard as to spend their Sundays
at home
; The seats were hung upon hinges, to be
turned back when the people rose in prayer
when prayers were ended, they were dropped
with clatter resembling voley Of musket
ry. In those days it was not looked upon Of
uncivil. but rather as a complimentary mari
; Of attention, for the listeners of the sermon Il
> relieve themselves from long continued, Sc
dentary, somnierous position, by rising au,
standing.
1HE CHoRisTER.-The congregation wa
proud of its music. The sinng master him
self was a curiosity and a study. 1t was tn
fashion TO use white cravat, in which was
pad called pudding, long enough TO g
around the meek, aud quilted with wool. Tn
master had tall portly figure. and q yer
long neck his dress was Of bright eolors,
vest of sulphur yellow; his cravat absorbe
yards of muslin, and q pudding of most poi
tentous dimensions. 1t was sight TO Sc
him lead the time. He would first handle hi
, "tooting weapon" lit was before the days {
tuning forks) he breathed through it tende
note, to which he listened with an expressio
of intense anguish, then dropping his hea'
/ he performed an uniutelligble solo. whic
, sounded like a distant caterwaul. "to get tb
pitch" Then rising gracefully in the centr
: Of the gallery. with a countenance radian
with happiness. be poured forth the key not
with exemplary vigor, and stretching bis arr