Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-07-25

: she moved here, she moved upon on,
horse, bringing a bed, and she rode OF
top of it, and her husband came Oh
foot" We made considerable fun oi
our parents poverty. We, children, die
not think nor care, for we were mucI
alike, and had enough to eat and went
to school. Now / know that man that
moved on foot and that woman that
came riding on her bed were among the
most worthy that ever came into town,
and their descendants are among the first
and best that are here. Is it strange
that the people emerging from a seven
years war with a lion, and had con-
quered, but spent everything and were
saddled with a crushing debt, should be
poor?
Poverty is not always, if ever, the re-
ward of meanness. Christ was born in
a stable,aand while he lived he had not
where to lay his head, and yet he was
Lord of the Universe.
Your fathers were men that their pos
terity have no occasion to be ashamed
| of. They Were men of decision and
courage. They planned and bought our
| liberties. We should remember them
with gratitude, the blessings we enjoy
and the prices of their suffering. Such
a country and such government and
| such freedom OF conscience, and such
! blessings OF every kind are not found
| among any people on earth, for all of
which let us first thank God and then
our fathers, who made themselves Door
that we might be rich. They never
| spent their evenings in petty lawsuits.
They were more afraid of the law and
of a lawyer than of lightning. | re-
member one circumstance. Nv father
once in his long life was sued for 9 small
debt due to a merchant, and / came from
school and found all the family in deep
mourning, and the first thing was to en-
Tighten me that | might mourn with
| them. 1t was the first time that | had
definition of the word ''sue." | have
not forgotten my feelings on the oc-
casiOn. | did not think my father was
going to be hung, but | thought il
was such disgrace TO he sued that nv
father would never get over it: and /
did not know but it would be talked of
and talked about all over the country.
| suppose that our honest new settlers,
many of them, had the same horror Of
being sued as L had. Honest poverty
creates a feeling of dependence that
seems to take away mans courage.
But there was considerable sueing in
those these times. All people that 90
into new countries, 90 to better their
circumstances. But the most of those
that are business men are not experienced
men. nor men Of wealth, but get trusted
for five or six hundred dollars in goods.
and sell and trust much out. and as fast
as it could be collected it is devOured.
and when payday comes there is no
money, so the man fails And the news
goes out that the merchant has failed.
and is sued; so all that are now in his
debt are sued. 1t was so in the early
days in PittsfOrd more than once. But
PittsfOrd, as town, never failed. but il
has advanced from step to step till they
have reached their present position, one
not to be ashamed Of.
EARLY DRESS AND MANNERS.
1t was impossible for people in the
early settlement to dress as people do
now. You might see thirty or forty
urchins in a little plank or log school
house, probably, if it is summer, every
boy and girl under fourteen with bare
feet, and all dressed in the most plain
manner.
Tow cloth pants and shirts, and in
many instances a brown frOck without /
a shirt would be thought equal to the /
demand. Young men felt that a swans
down vest, linen shirt sparingly whit /
ened, and a pair of striped, linen pants. |
and fustian coat would do to 90 into /
any company. knew young ladies of /
good character and moving in good So /
ciety. if there were any in town that /
deserved that appellatiOn. who were |
published in their skirts and homemade /
short gowns and married in their calicO's. /
! was but a boy when this took place. !
but | have lived to see the entire end of /
the four, in those families, embracing |
the heads. have known their progress /
from year to year. You will wish TO know /
how they came out. The greatest peace /
and domestic union travelled with them /
until death. They were all greatly be /
loved as neighbOrs and citizens The /
first of the four died not far from sixty |
years old, and preached at his death; |
and a number of children became mem |
bers of my church, having moved into |
my town with the widow, soon /
after the death of the father, |
who died greatly respected and |
leaving a goodly inheritance for all his |
posterity His widow has recently |
died. aged about ninety. leaving many /
friends, but, can safely say, no enc |
mics.
The other couple lived beyond four |
score years. long having had a seat in /
the sanctuary, until after journeying to- |
gethcr in the most perfect harmony, |
and rearing large family, all Of whom /
are or have been, for years before their /
death, the decided followers Of Christ.
But our ancient fathers and mothers, /
certainly acted wisely in managing not /
only as to useless and eXtrayagant dress, /
but in all their pecuniary affairs. They /
did not impoverish themselves hv the /
costly furniture of sidebOards. sofas. /
cushioned chairs and spring beds, and (
bedsteads that cost from fifty to a hun /
dred dollars apiece / should be offered a /
large price for any old shoe that ever /
pressed a nice carpet in this town eighty /
years ago. Table furniture was very
different from what is now seen in /
your poorest liver's houses. Who feels I
that he can dip an iron or pewter spoon, /
now. into his soup or tea, or china bowl /
of milk The change in our daily living 1
has not so much increased our expenses
as many other things. The dress of the 1
table now calls for expense. But we
always expected TO eat all that we de-
sired. The luxuries of the table are now
more INDUCED in, than in former times
Sugar and sweetmeats, are now cOnsid-
cred more a sine gun nan, than in the
days of my childhood as at present tho
much sugar was then used, but it was
mostly obtained by our own efforts in
robbing the beautiful naples of their
precious juice. But we loved eggs and
the fowls and turkeys, that produced
them, as well as people do now, and /
think that as large proportion of them
were kept and eaten, according to the
population as are used now. | am rather
of the sentiment that as much meat in
the course of the year according to the
number of inhabitants was then used as
there is here now, and much more trout
was then given to the first generation
than to any race since. / think / shall
H. -, HnnrIc Of frr,th +O caxr that Of least Z