Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-05-18
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.


CONDUCTED BY J. r. LANGENBAUGH.
HOUSEHOLD ocNvENIENcE ONE HUNDRED
YEARS AGO.
In speaking Of the comparative
comforts anc conveniences enjoyed
by our ancestors i'm their homes OF a
hundred years ago, with their de-
scendants OF this generations, DIR.
Nichols, In the Boston Journal of
Commerce, says: Our fathers were
cropping in almost utter darkness, so
far as knowledge OF the sciences was
concerned, and but little progress
had been made in invention and the
arts; scarcely one OF the modern con-
trivances for cooking. and for warm
ing and lighting dwellings were
known. Not a pound Of coal or a
cubic foot Of Illuminating gas had
been burned in the country. No iron
stoves were used, and no contrivances
for economizing heat were employed
until DR.. Franklin invented the iron
frame fire place. which still
bears his name. ALI the cooking and
warming in town and country were
done by the aid OF fire kindled upon
the brick hearth or in the brick oven.
Pine knots or tallow candles furnish
ed the light for the long winter eve-
nings, and sanded floors supplied the
place OF rugs and carpets
The water use for household pur-
poses was drawn from deep wells by
the creaking Sweep" and it is
curious circumstance that both the
well and the building, meeting the
necessity Of water-closet, were Of
ten at long distances from the house.
In a cold night In winter. to be called
toward either OF them was something
dreadful to think Of. No form Of
pump was used in this country, so far
as we learn, until after the commence
ment Of the present century. There
were no friction matches in those
early days, by the aid Of which are
could be speedily kindled: and IL the
fire ~went out" on the hearth over
night, and the tindsr was damp so
that the spark would not ~catch, the
alternative remained OF wading
through the snow q mile or so to
borrow a brand of a neighbor. Only
one room in any house was warmed
(unless some one Of the family we're
ilD; in all the rest the temperature
was at zero during many nights in
winter. The men and women Of
huddred years ago undressed and re-
tired to their beds at night in an at
mosphere colder than that Of our
wooden barns and woodsheds, and
they never complained
OUR OLD WARS.
During the last hundred and seven
ty-two years we have had nine wars,
without counting Indian wars.) and
all of these together make fifty years
OF warfare. That is to say, during
the last century and a half, we have
had one year OF war to about two
years OF peace. Our first war took
place in the reign of William LII. and
lasted from 1859 to 1897. William III.
the champion OF Protestant interests,
waged long war with the magnih-
cent and profiigate Louis XIV OF
France. Could Puritan New Eng
land refrain from lending a helping
hand? Two considerable expeditions
sailed from Boston against the north
ern French possessions, both OF which
ended in sad wreck and loss, and
brought on New England the curse Of
deprecated paper money. This war
was always styled by the colonists
king William's-war."
The next war, known as Queen
Anne's war, began in 1902, and ended
with the peace OF Utrecht, in l713. 1t
was in this war that the great Marl-
borough won his most brilliant VIC
tories. The brave and generous sons
OF Massachusetts, again assailed the
French in the North and arrested
from them the province of Nova.
conquest which the treaty OF Ut
recht confirmed After thirty years
Of peace, the third war broke out,
sailed King Georges war, because it
occurred in the reign OF George IL
1t lasted from i744 to 174S. Once
more, Massachusetts,, with the aid Of
six other colonies, sent north-ward q
mighty armament, and conquered the
stronghold of Loui5burg, on the Is
land Of Cape Breton, an event that
was celebrated in every town, from
Boston to Charleston, with bonfires,
fireworks, illuminations, barbecues
and thanksgivings. The valiant
Yankee who commanded was knight
ed and made acknowledgement for
his conduct on this occasion. Sir
William Pepperell he was thence
forth called.
Next came the long, fierce war, in
which Braddock fell, and Wolfe took
Quebeck, and all Canada and all In
dia fell under the dominion OF Brit
ain- William Pitt was the conductor
OF this war. In Europe this war In
called the Seven Years war; but in
America, where il lasted more than
ten years, we commonly style il the
Old French war. 1t began in 1898,
and ended with the peace of Paris. in
1763. Glorious New England. nobly
seconded by New York, Pennsylvania
and Virginia, bore the brunt OF this
great contest.
Then came the war of the revolu-
ton, which lasted eight years; then
the rupture with France In 1888; then
the war Of 1872; then the war with
Mexico; and, last, the war of 1861.
All the old French wars were mainly
fought and paid for by New England,
and we have the testimony OF Gen.
Washington himself that his great
reliance during the war OF the revo-
| luton wae unon Yankao cfoadinosa