River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-01-31
Incidents Of Early New England Life
A"sEcTroN" PROM A. MoRsE's LECTURE.

IN preparing buls IecUure, ueclded
TO pass over the scene Of Pilgrim Fa-
theirs leaving their native land--cross
ing the wide, wide ocean, and landing
on the rocks of Plymotuh, and come
down to deal with their every day life,
and speak Of their domestic characters
tics, relations and peculiarities.
The song says, tina.
"Tines amt now as they used TO vas besn. /"
This is as true as preaching, for, as we
are told, "when John Alden went to
Cape Col to marry Priscilla Mullins,
he covered his bull with broadoloth aud
rode upon his back. When he returned
ne placed his wife upon his bulls back
and led the animal by the ring in his
nose. Nowadays, when Joseph goes
to marry Catherine, be can ride upon
his sled, drive a noble pair Of oxen;
and, placing bis wife upon the sled, he
can ride home by her side, instead of
leading the oxen By the nose. Some
reckless wight has intimated that, had
Isaac gone on ball instead of camel,
when he sought the hand of the fair
Reb coca, he might not have received
the favorable response. II viR 90.
Yet all will coDcede that the bull Is bv
far the handsomer annual.
Il lie further related Of John. that
when he FIRST wen. 10 see Priscilla. he
sought her baud for Miles Staudish
but the fair Priscilla being smi.ten with
the beauty, s"d interested in the frank.
mesa Of John, at once surprised him with
= regular yankee answer: "prithse,
John, Why do you no, speak for your
self. Nowadays, Jacoh never trusts
John with message 20 his fair Nancy.
unless be. also, bears him company.
The maxim was as true in puritan DAYS
IS now, that, faint heart never Won
fair lady;" aud, though Captain Stan.
dish vas man Of coarage-was bold
IS hon when called upon TO face the
enemy. yet, when he came into the pres
eneeof Priscilla ,his courage evaporatei at
the ends Of his fingers And now I
would recommend young men every
where, 20 profit by this incident Re.
member that the most direct, is the
sarest way 10 womsn's affections. Cour.
age may win, bat timidi,y is sure 20
lose the prize
When our Pilgrim fathers first
erected houses, they built them with
logs, and they, undoubtedly, very much
resembled the rude nuts of some Of the
pioneer settlers of this country. But
they were soon able 10 supply their
places with large, double houses, with
slopiDg roof in the rear, which COW
cred kitchen, closet and pantry. in
these days every house must face the
stouth, 'that the sun might shine
square, aud the good housewife could
tell when noon came. Many of them
we're two stories high, and very large
beams or timbers we're used in their
construction, which showed in the rooms
OF the inside. It was customary 10
have the upper story projec. over the
lower one. foot on every side. This gave
the house an uncouth appearance The
windows were small, and many of them
were filed with diamond shaped glass.
Ia the middle Of every house, was erect.
large chimney, with from two TO four
IRE places in each story Of the house.
In the winter season. these fire places
were illed with large logs and billets of
wood from three TO six feet long, and
burnt for the special benefit and com
fort OF the family. In those days, all
the cooking was done over these fires.
with the exception of the baking which
was usually done in cspacious bri ok ov.
enc, always adjoining the fire place.
On the mantlepiece used to stand
the large brown pitcher, which needed