Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-06-17

gregational Church in Springfield, Mass,
roll nine-pins with his pastor '' for the
drinks
Some forty years ago more or less, there
was an old deacon named Wheeler, who
kept a store on Boston Neck, and did a
heavy business in rum-selling by glass and
Jug. 1t was a sort of half way house be-
tween Boston and Roxbury, and country
teams stopped there to replenish their bot
ties, while city pedestrians regularly halted
there to rest awhile and wet their whistles.
Any proposition to drink half 4 mile either
way, was met with the remark: 50 Hold
on till we get to Deacon Wheeler's, and
then we'll have rouser." The bugle OF
reform had been sounding for some time.
and peoples eyes began to open. The
deacon's place had got to be so notorious
that his fellow churchmen felt uneasy at
the reproach his business brought upon
the Church. They had '.laboredn with him
for some time, but all to no purpose. The
gains of the deacon's business closed the
deacon's eyes so effectually that in the par
lance of to-day, he couldn't see it." FL
nally he was positively informed, that he
must give up selling rum or lose his posi-
tion in the Church. He was given a
month to determine what he could do. At
the close of that time brother met him
near his store and asked him if he had
come to a decision. "Yes," replied the
deacon, Il have thoroughly weighed the
matter, and concluded to give it up"
"What?" asked the brother, the rum
selling?" No" said Wheeler, the
deaconship." And he did, and the Church
lost one of its branches, albeit a trifie rotten
and rather unfruitful of good works.
The lover of good order and correct
morals feels somewhat shocked at the dis
sipation and riot which prevail during our
national holidays, but if he is as old as
am, he must acknowledge that great i'm
provement has been made in that direct
ion. Let me illustrate by venturing fee
BILE sketch of Fourth of July in Boston
forty or fifty years ago. In the morning
all householders brought out their freshly
filled decanters and bottles and treated all
comers. The malls around the Common,
and in front of the Granary Burial Ground
on fremont Street We're covered with
stands, tables, and wagons. from nearly
every one of which some kind of intoxi-
eating drinks We're sold as well as cakes
candy, fruits. &c. In the middle of the
/ Common and around the Frog Pond and
Big Tree large and small booths and tents,
1 NtiC CltNltbs WiltiC SOiltl CstlstJItS
be had and any amount of solid, and un-
solid drinks in prices varying from one to
six cents per glass. Square drinks for
three cents, rousin brimmers-with lemon
for six cents, and small glasses of egg
nod and punch. for children, for one cent.
In the hollow back of the Big Tree, crowds
of gamblers congregated to shake props,
| play dice and cards, bet on rouletts, throw
at the black joke and pitch cents at Il
mark.
/ Vast sums of money changed hands
on these occasions. The prop rings were
composed of motely specimens. Old and
young, rich and poor, men and boys, black
and white all mingled in equality on these
occasions. One ring would be playing
! for dollars, another for pennies, and not
unfrequently the man would wager the
penny while the boy would be handling
the dollars. 1t was gamble and drink and
/ fight, and fight drink and gamble from
/ daylight !till dark, and even after dark
some adventurous gambler would procure
a lantern or a penny dip and pursue the
game until the majority were dead broke,
and WEAKNESS compelled adjournment. |
/ have seen the sides of the hills of the
Common and the State House yard covered
with drunken men and boys who would
sleep off one debauch in the forenoon.
Fights were innumerable. but as we had
no police then, the constables only essayed
to part the fighters for the time being, and
arrested only very aggravated cases.
Men, and often women, of dancing pro-
clivities were Accommodated by having an
impromptu flooring made by placing two
boards side by side on the grass. An empty
barrel sufficed for the orchestra box, and
on this the fiddler was perched and dis
cou-sed his most excellent music. The
style of dancing most affected, was elias
scally termed - fore and after. and was
executed by four persons. The price eX-
acted by the violiniSt varied from three t.
ten cents for each person on the floor, ac-
cording to the width and length of the
planks and the professional standing OF
the master of ceremonies. At the close OF
each measure the parties usually treated
their partners and the musician. Towards
the close of the day, the musical professor
would be so thoroughly embalmed in cheap
rum, or so overcome by the inspiration o1
his own melody, as to require one or more
attending friends to hold him steadily Oh
his barrel, while another was engaged il
poking him in the ribs and jogging his ell
bow to keep the tune from dying out ant
the artist from dropping to sleep in the
midst of a measure.
Such is faint description of the time:
and customs of forty or fifty years ago
And when | contrast the looseness and
reckleseness of those days with the com
parative order and discipline of today,
! feel that the world is moving on Il more
even keel, even if she is moving faster
than formerly.