Litchfield enquirer., 1856-01-31

money was sunk by Mr. Cfadock tn hs hsh- ing speculation and the reading Bey lad brought hume -. ysnewa,'s Address te Citizens of London, aftef the G,eat Fire of l66s, just published.
 The first act after Sunday dinner was to take off tho Sunday clothes. Each one do<s this and then the mother assemblies her chils drea around her, each seated on his block and she hears them repeat the Csteehism. and, ske endeavors 10 impress their minds with the truths which the sermons of the day have set forth. During this las, exercise, ttis youngest daughter has fallen asleep, ths younges, boy has tried to catch flies, and the rest of her audience have paid some heed. It is now time 10 close the religious exercises cf The Sabbath by reading the Sacred Scriptures and joinins in family prayer. This service has the truth and feIvat Of humble worship. pers. Pie,y and love are laid ep tue altar and the concluding Amen tes'ifies 10 a Sab bah spent in the fear of God and the love of man. The father and sons now repair,o the ham, and the milking is soon fsnishsd. By ,his time the sun has SC, and, as If consciencs had set with it, any secular pursuit now seems half allowable. The wood for to.inorrow's washing is carried n ,he great Kettle is filled with wafer the kindlings are put ia the corner and everything is ready for the earliest start. The mother and daughicrr, who have no, dared 10 wash the breakfast or dinner things while the sun was up, now be- gin hat operaiion and then get all the clo hes together which must be washed, and pu, them in soak. The great kettle is TOW huag on atd Il almost sesins as if Mondsy m"rring had arrived.
 The eldest Son knows it has not, and l. .L. A. and, full u silent thoughts and tender emo. lions, ho slips out, in full dress, at seven o'clock, 10 " drop in" accidentally at neigh he likes to look al. lr lac can get her io go with some of the Sunday choir, why, iten rep, fur cour,i"g or practising singing hy the choir. being positively forb,ddcn, il snf,'ehow always happened thai ,he choir would m, c, he . remarkably fuii ate ,ndance Th9s the " -ingi,g 'choo,," was the Newport and Sar. a'oga of Mcdford. R"creaiion of some sort thr,e. He claims il as ,aiure's law, Our the innis of life. Whlle they have been
 
 of ih. Ms ic has no. been wi,h"u, it's mu. sic. The parents have led, and ihe children follow cd, in some of tho good old psalm tunes which have co,ne drwn from former gsuera- 'ions. A, half pas, eight o'clock the canr:S is prt oui and the day of worship and rest has ended 10 the farmers family except 10 The. eldest son, who, at half pas, nine, opens 'i,at door which is never fac ened, and quietly 4 .tL l tL tiis mother hca,d him, but did iiOt ssesE.
 We are sure this is hut a rough .ketch of the manners end life of the earl, settlers in Medfor1 !; but wo h"pe Il may suffice io chow ,hose salient traits of indus:fy and economy. of ,ru'hiuncss, and de.6''"n, fnf Whfch they were 70 clearly distinguished. We must l,ok through their eyes To see them aright. They were content if they could gam c6,n- to,tabIe subsistence, aud hase ths opportunity of worshpping God according 10 the dis.stes of their own conscienccs. Tieir condition, ,hsir dwellings,, their dress, their facilities. ihe,r reta,mnships-how different from ours Deputy Governor Dudley, Match ta, l63t, writes thus "Having yet no table, nor other ronm to write in than by the htcsidc, upon my knee. in this sharp winter" etc. ,he deputy governor had To more accnmn,o- daiiors 'han ihcSe, ~hai must have been the deprivations oi the ret of the peo?le1 For ma"y of our modern supe fdmies they had no names tt ,hcir vocabulary. So late ss oyr day, we have sscn aged persons who have a,su'cd us tha, they never tasted tea or coffee unil they were over twenty. enc years of, age. In l666. les, in England, was sixty shillings sterling a pnrnd. and was not used mnch n Hmer,ca .i.ll i750 It was nearly the sSms win coff;e. Any cooking which required sugar was 100 xprnsivc for our carly ances- tors and the Sunday suit of cfotbcs went through a whole ihr. i
 For rocai music. they had the volnn tser s To from Ihs cradle for instrurnentol, they had the spuier of the churn, inc scIaying of. ths wool cards, the whiz of inc spinning W heei, and ihe jrrk.raiile of the weaving -loom.- Thc,r sofa was ihc sei'ee,' and their spring. seat was the soft side of an oaken plank ihrm carpets ~ere clean white sand; their ceilings rough boa,ds and rafers: 1: and their pa | was at once kitchen, bed. room, and hall. We h we seen what them cl"ihing was and il was Inc p oduct of their own looms aud kn:i,ing neeolcs. The men were not encun.brred wi'h suspenders, or diekies. or umbrellas nor wore the women signing aftsr di"monds. opera glasses, or Cologne water, tiow expensive, VI xaiii'us, ana useless wOu'd have been long female dresses bcdraggscd every monent m the grass Fsshion, which is ,he Iabor of IiiI!e minds, and not fhe repose of yreai ones, had not. beton.S the fckle tyran, we n"* see ,f. They aimed at health ! and the children who were born weak and ieeDlr could not be Kept slive, as they are by rned~rn skill: hence the robusfness of those who survived. We come, then, 10 the con- elusion. that moderate iabor, simple diet, sui. tr,enf sleep. regular ha.r., ard mental peace, csch helred io probing life and secure con-, ,cnt,nent. Tes, we gay conffninienf; for, # any one shouie tbink these humble annals descriptive only of lns,a, or thrailc,n, or sia2,i'iiy, we must tsIi n . hs.ty sna fslss caacinsion. W hen the human mind really, desires Improvement, it cnvens rocks and trees, animals sad mn, traIs and joys, into book of philosophy and blLlos of udih. BY q chemistry which il cannot explain. inc hun- ery and threty .oof iurns ev., ylbing into ed- nca,isaai meaning and moral not.i,nent. All ihs is thus gained are ,uliai.Ie sacas and avail .i.ie knowledge, which will land ihc test ct rE and rxpensnce, ,whils rainbow theories f4ieand Ssn;sh wish Inc d;ssolv,ng cl3ud. Oug fathers had rfron~ conamon sensc and.