Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1876-11-30

ana look part In the WOTK Win great
alacrity. 1t was spectacle for US next
to that of performer on the tight rope,
to see the young men walk steadily on
the narrow footing of the beams at q
great hight from the ground, or as they
stood to catch in their hands the wooden
pins and the braces flung to them from
below. They wed with each other in
the dexterity and daring with which
they went through with the work, and,
when the skeleton of the building was
put together, some one among them gen.
orally capped the climax of fearless ac-
tivity by standing on the idge-pole with
his head downward and his heels in the
air. At that time, even the presence of
the minister was no restraint upon the
aow of milk-punch and grogs which in
some cases was taken to excess. The
practice of calling the neighbors to these
''raisings" is now discontinued in the
rural neighborhoods the carpenters
provide their own workmen for the bus
mess of adjusting the timbers of the new
building to each ether, and there is no
consumption of grog.
Another of the entertainments of rus
tic life in the region of which | am
gar. This was favorite frolic of the
boys. The apparatus for the sugar
camp was of much ruder kind than is
now used. The sap was brought in
buckets from the wounded trees and
poured into great caldron which hung
over hot fire from stout horizontal
pole supported at each end by an upright
stake planted in the ground Since that
time they have built in every maple
grove d sugar-house "a little building in
WI ich the process of making sugar is
carried on with several ingenious con-
trivances unknown at that time, when
every thing was done ia the open air.
From my fathers door, in the latter
part of March and the early part of
April, we could see perhaps a dozen
columns of smoke rising over the woods
il different places where the work was
going on. After the sap had been COL
lected end boiled for thr5e or four dsgs,
the time cane when the thickening
liquid was iatde to "a s into the form
of sugar. This was when the syrup had
become of such consistency that it
would 'sfeathsr"--that is to say, when a
beecGen twig, formed OF the small end
into a little loop, dipped into the hot
syrup and blown upon by the breath,
sent into the air d light, ftaghefy finn.
The huge caidrOn was then lifted tom
the fire, snd It's contents were either
dipped out and poured into molds, or
stirred briskly till the SYRUP cooled and
took the form Of ordinary brown sugar
In ioose grains,
In sutNrnp, tae task of stripping the
IL
made the occasion of soCiai mex tings, Ia
which the boys took 3 special part 4
farmer would sppeint go httking," to
which Ee Invited his ,1eigbhors. The
ears of maize in the husk, some times
along with part OF the stalk, were heaped
on the barn floor. Ia the evening, Ian
terms were brought, and, seated on piles
of dry husks the men and bays stripped
the ears of their covering, and, breaking
them from the stem with B sudden jerk,
threw them into baskets placed for the
purpose. 1t was often merry time; the
gossip of the neighborhood was talked
over, stories were told, jests went round,
and at the proper hour the assembly ad-
JouFned to the dwelling house and were
treated to pumpkin pie and cider, which
in that season had not been SO long from
the press as TO have parted with It's
sweetness. <-.
Quite as cheerful were the apple
pafings," which on autumn evenings
gought together the young people of
a. dsexes ia little circles The fruit of
~ ia lard was pared aud qua,tered and
80 ~ 80 !; - tr8eted, and supply of app
p 80 - 49,, Ssa' >ste provided for making
az w.. sa ~ "appie- sauce, a kind
u 'l 49, ~ ~ ltch every family laid
= q lPAlsso s4Ates4 t - 'S1Nt y q .-sr = ~ -
ahe e sas. Tine 81 T. sssss
soIass.. what corfSep andeft t6 use SssEssss.
I trset.s Ora eou. taies, o., Europe. Lar =
foss,sTshadowed 81 rows OF ;zia,sst I wss
aud in the month of May q joarne
/ through the region was 3 Journey throug
I d wilderness of bloom. 10 the month Q
/ October the whole population was bus
Il gathering apples under the trees, froI
Il which they fell 10 heavy showers SIS th
branches were shaken by the strong arm
| of the farmers. The cFeak of the eide
| mill, turned by a horse moving Ia q eli
Gle, was heard Ia every neishbofhoos
II one of the most common of rural sound
Il The freshly pressed juice of the apple
was most agreeable to boylsh tastes, al
the whole process of gathering the fru
and making the cider tame in among II
. more Iaboli5as Tufat occupations in
81 way which diveFGi ied them pleasant.
! and which made it Seem d psstime. I'll
0 tNne that was given to making eide
4 and tho number OF barrels made an
E stored in the, cellars of the farm house
E would seem incredible. a hundred ba
Il reis TO 9 single farm was no uneommo
4
! by the men of that day led 70 the habi
8 of intemperance which at length alarm
) ed the more thoughtful part OF the con
; munity, and gave occasion to the forms
/ ton OF temperance societies and the II
: PRODUCTION of better habits.
sl From time to time, the winter ever
ings, and occasionally winter ate
? noon, brought the young people OF tt
|, | parish together ia attendance upon
singing school. Some person who pc
sessed more than ordinary power
voice and skill in employing il was OF
9 / ployed to teach psalmody, aud the DO,
7 were naturally attracted to his school I
| a recreation. 1t often happened thattl
: / teacher was 'an enthusiast IN his voc
> / ton. aud thundered forth the airs
8 | down in the music books VITA a ferv'
, that was .conta2ious. III those days
i set of tunes we're in fashion mostly
New England origin, which have sim
T been laid aside. They were in quic
t time. sharply accented, the words eles
: ly artieulated, and often running lni
D fugues in which the bass, tenor al
: treble chased each other from the mn
j die to the enc. of the stanza. recolte'
} that some Impotence was manifesto
when slower and grsver airs OF churf
8 | music were introduced by the choir, az
/ l wondered why the words should n
! be sung in the same. time that they we
. pronounced in reading.
r The streams which bickered throug
. the narrow glenseof the region IN whit
. j lived were much better stocked WI
I trout in those days. than now, for u
: country had been newly opened to Sc
t Element. The boys all were anglers.
a confess to having felt a strong intere
E in that .'sport, . as | no longer call !
i / have long since been weaned from Il
Il propensity Of which speak but | ha'
/ = 4L.a iy,cfippf which tJncflDes