The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-10-10
Country sports.

Who, among our grey-headed farmers
has not pleasant recolections Of the
old-tashioned apple-cutting and husking
party? What sober matron among VI
does not recall the pleasures Of the
quilting party and the gathering fol
making apple butter2 In those very
old fashioned, but after all, very good
old days, there was pleasure as we'll AZ
toll 10 the jewellers on the farm. L
there was hard work in raising the
little crop of corn, there was rare sport
in stripping the husks from the shining
golden ears. If there were weary fin
gers in picking the cart loads of seed
ling apples, there was promised JOY
when they should be ground in cider
mill or quartered and strung
up at an apple cutting
Then every man and boy had his rife
and knew how to use it. Game wa:
abundant, and had no rights that farm
ers were bound to respect. Piano
were never heard in the country, and
the sewing machine had not been inven
ted; but every woman and girl had hel
side saddle, and counted it not coarse
and vulgar to ride on horseback
When the frost ri pened the wild grapes
and caused the nuts to fall, the boys
and girls formed parties for gathering
them. If a new settler arrived the
men turned out and put him up a cabinT
while1he women brought in feast Of
good things. The house might not be
large. but Az house warming was
worthy of a palace At the recent Old
Settlers meetings throughout the West
the burden of all the speeches was the
good times they had as pioneers.
Time has changed all this, and
changed it not for the better. We have
put away these old customs, but have
established nothing in the place o
them. We quote SOLOMON to prove
that there is time to work, but never
complete the sentence that says there IL
time to dance. False pride, wrong
ideas of propriety, and, more than all, 6
disposition to initiate the ways of city
neople. have abolished all our old rura
sports and have given us nothing IN
stead. We husk corn as we raise 1t
every man Tor himself; we dry our ap
pies as we dry our beef, every family do
inc its own work; if quilts are wanted
for winter bedding, they are made by
machine and not by quilting party
When a new conner arrives, couple o
village carpenters set up balloon
frame and he moves into it like her
NIT into a cave. Even the countr,
smelling schools are institutions of thu
mast; John learns photography by writ
inc words on a slate, and if Mary Jones
wishes to learn music, teacher come
from some large town and gives he
private lessons.
We have well nigh forgotten TIT
meaning of having a good time. Far
mers' boys know as little of The gam'
of a spy" as of the Olympic games
The wives and daughters of farmers
who keep no carriage, prefer to stay a
home to riding on horseback or in
wagon. In growing rich and refne'
we have grown unsocial, if not abso
lutely selfish. The few sports we hav
in the country are those imported iron
the CITY, and are, at best, miserabl
apologies for the diversions that wer
once so common in the farm house An
the fields.
All this is wrong; diversions, sport
and social amusements are more needle
by farmers than by any class OF people
inasmuch as their labor is harder an
their confinement is closer at home
These sports should be of the countr
and be associated with its belonging
They should be Of nature that woul
not only make the country pleasant
those who live in it, but attractive
those whose homes are in towns and CT
les. One of the main reasons why IA
mers and farmers wives grow prematur
: " old, is that recreation is almost u
known to them. But this lack
amusement among farmers produc
another injurious effect, 1t. is. 4
means of driving thousands OF your
men and women to the city every yes
, 1t is the desire for amusements, mo
than the dislike for farm labor, tn
2 looIa M n,apv hoya 10 prefer the va