The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-12-13
GOOD OLD TINES.
The Pleasant, but Innocent, Practices In
duIged by Former Generations.
NEW ENGLAND BsNDLING.
How Primitive Yankee DuIeineas Used
fo Entertain Their Sweetbearfs.
IChicago SUNDAY Herald.l

the American settlers practiced perhaps
brought over with them. was one which has
not received the amount of attention II de
served, whether from mistaken deliCacy on
the part of deseendents from the people who
were its upholders, or from whatever reason
the pleasant. recreatiye and amatOry system
OF "bundling" which was wont TO make the
lives OF New England youth and maidcns
swectly happy, has not been celebrated in
song and story Of late years.
In the earlier days of this country the set
tiers were poor. and frequently their iiabita-
tons contained but a single apartment.
Whole families We're, therefore, compelled
TO live, eat and sleep in the same room, and
the stranger within their gates had, OF ne
cessity, to take pot luck with the rest.
Even when increasing prosperity added
little TO the original cabin, il was yet nee
essary to practice economy Ia such.
matters as fire and candles, and il
is altogether probable that bundling
came into vogue under these conditions.
The girls had their sweethearts, of course,
and these, after hard days work, would
frequently walk 10 OF 10 miles through the
snow to visit their lady loves. 1t would be
cruel reasSned the complacent parents of
yore, To turn the faithful swain out again ut
midnight; and so, under certain restrictions,
he was allowed to share Dulcineas virtuous
couch. Before proceeding. to a more exact
description OF this phase of colonial home
life among the humber classes, we will
pause for an instant to remark yum. yUmr'
IL Is evening in New England SETTLEMENT.
the time l. winter; bright glinting cover
lets of snow rest on the bosom of earth;
ieicits depend from the trees, and the chaste
full moon beams from eyer.a heecy cloud.
Hospitable smoke curls from the farm house
chimney, and the ruddy tire-glow dances on
the little diamond .2anes of the parlor win
dow: whence Jemilga watches for her
expected lover. Without all is peace;
the gentlemen and lady cows are
bundled in well sheltered sheds.
the chanticleer and chanticleeresses
are bundled in the hennery, even
the cats are bundlfng on the kitchen roof:
and the ''swate little fish, tho he can't
spake his WISH i supposed 10 be bundling
with the female OF his kind under the bank
OF Won frozen brooklet All nature calls us
TO bundle--let Us bundled
Presently Reuben comes trudging along
through the snow, and stamps loudly on the
door step, Is he shakes a shower of flakes
from his shaggy coat. Jemima is at the
door instanter, and pair of plump, round
arms encircle the youths willing neck,
causing his blood to fly like sparks
from burnt up paper. Alter his
long walk, supper, plentiful, and homely
Is right welcome. and then the craps"
are discussed for a little while with
and SO forth; but shortly the elders yawn
and expressing the hope that the lovers
viii find "kiYer sufficient on their bed,
they retire in confidence that nothing be-
yond innocent endearnents'' will occur.
Soue people say that these youthful coup
les used to sit up until the night had
lar advanced, but puts yourself in his
place" and say if you believe it. Pa and
ma are scarcely out of hearing before
Ion iU1r IGlx ZOO
that il is too cold TO situp, and straightway
prepare for bed. Do not blush at the appar-
ent improperly of this arrangement; the
early religious teachings of these simple folk
were so strict, their religion had so strong a
hold upon them, aud they were altogether
50 yirtuOus and honest that no harm was
known to grow out of this innocent method
of courting--eNcept sometimes. More than
this both parties kept their
clothes on-sOme of them-and, that
being the case. what more
harm was there in lying down upon warm
feather bed with plenty of comlortables
over them, than shiyering before the en-
bers of dying fire, and wasting candles?
Should any scoher suggest that warmth Is
more conducive to some things than cold is,
We say to that scofier that he is hypercrit-
zeal. Etiquette required that the gentle
man should divest himself of no more than
his coat, vest, trousers and shoes; the
lady kept on an under petticoat. at
least. Thus in the innocent endear-
ments of q chaste love, did youth
and maiden spend the nights of courtship
in the golden days of yore. That natural
sDnsequences'' sometimes ensued upon these
bundlings nobody will deny, but they were
comparatively rare, and according TO the
gossip of that day, not hall 50 frequent as
they were in New York. Boston. Salem and
Newport, after the more civilized city moth
ers began to discOuntenance the practice,
and substituted sofas instead, that court
ship might be more proper, or, as the
anti-sOiaites had II, more Turkish"
Ii Is not to be wondered at that custom
which must have been firmly rooted in the
affections of the people, especially the young.
should linger long and die hard. although
sOrely assailed by enemies. So ii was with
bundling. Nothing in particular had been
urged against il, during the earlier life of the
colonies, but, after the hardy sons of New
England returned from their Canadian cam
paigning in the French and Indian war, they
brought back looser principles than those
which they had started with, and it began
TO be apparent that bundling was not a. safe
as il had previously been considered. We
have no record of any fact which would lead
us to assume that the buxum la-ses of that
day were any less favOrably inclined than
formerly but as left-handed entrances upon
tue cCcic vi lllC lliCICdcCu III
began to wonder whether this kind of spark
ing was what it had been cracked up to
be-" Still bundling was in its most lusty
prime at this period, and did not entirely
disappear until long after cur revolutionary
war. which event did, indeed lave much TO
do with its downfall owing to the laxity of
wartime morals.
In 1776, a clergyman from one OF the
towns went into the country and preached
against ''the uncbristian custom of
young men and maidens living
together on bed" No sooner
had the unfortunate parson made his exit
from the meeting house, than he was assailed
by mob of old ladies, who began TO haul
hin over the Goals with vigor said they:
do you think We and our daughters.