The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-02-23
CANDY PULLING.
How Social Enjoyment Is Drawn
Out of Cane Juice.
AN ALABAMA FESTIVITY.
The Musical Games, ugly Mug" $50
EARLY in the Morning"
NEWTON. Ala, Feb. IT, 1879.

I,
was left In by the refrain
Punch, brothers punch punch with care;
Punch in The presence o the passengaire
and scarcely had recovered from the novelties of
the "gander pulling" when, in my rambles through
the same section of Alabama, / fell upon another
pastime as unique as that witnessed on Christmas
Day and not less interesting to one who had never
seen it before. and there fell in with refrain that
has haunted ever since. This imp of the per-
verse, this unrelenting. ringing refrain
So early in tho morning
whose musical and nonsensical cadence irresistbly
mngles with every line read, through my
brain toward all points of the mental compass.
have concluded to give to the readers of the HERALD
The event which brought about this state of affairs
It is a social pastime fourishing in the same lati
tude, and assmiates to it in its unmistakabe social
tone. 1t is styled the "candy pulling. and is
social the presence OF the girls is necessary to its
success and accertableness Since have been in
this vicinity have heard of several, and have had
more than one invitation to attend, and even
ing last week. hearing that the regular Christmas
OF candy pulings would probably close that evening
for the season, determined to attend.
CIRcUMsPEoT HOST
Promptly at eight o'clock was on hand at the hos
ptable home Of one of the patriarchs of the "wire
grass" region, who, 1 subsequently learned was
very much averse to dancing 1t tended he said to
bad morals and was otherwise sinful. but advocated
the candy pulling the acme of social attanments
consistent with the rules of the Primitive Baptist
Church, Of which he was q Jealous member His
was large single story house, built of logs. and
every room was u bedroom not excepting the parlor
The house stood in the centre of large yard dotted
with few struggling holyhocks, rosebushes,
bachelor button and rosemary buds; WASH
ington bower vine climbed up one corner Of the
mia ich fba hoff md
hung in long trailing streamers from the low caves
while few tall oaks spread their long. gaunt
branches like ghostly arms overhead. This only
p short distance from the scene of the "gander
pulling" and not few OF the young men present
this evening were recognized by me present on
that ancestral" occasion. Dropping in two Or three
Mt time to the parlor the company soon overAowed
into the other parts of the house. was talking to
blonde of twenty who had read the account OF the
"gander pulling in the HERALD of the 18th inst,
ana who seemed greatly amused at the manifested
dsase to the publicity Of that sport the part Of
some of the 'pullers." Her comments just.
discriminating and cutting in condemnation Of the
barbarous custom.
THEscANDY PULLING.
This entertainment gets its name from the making
Of candy which. however. by innovation has ceased
to be the leading feature Of the entertainment.
large pot Of the syrup Of sugar cane (which grows
well in this section and Is made up by the farmers
for their own consumption is put upon fire to
boil. and kept there till the syrup reaches certain
consistency. which Is just before it sugars. when
It is taken off and the hot syrup put into plates
to cool, when 1t il too thick to run.
Generally q boy and girl form partnership over
plate and pull" together. The hands rubbed
copiousy with lard butter, and the two take the
contents Of the plate In their hands One grasps the
grasps in between the partners hands and pulls
toward himself, the other with hand grasps be-
tween his other hand and his partners and pulls and
thus on as regular weavers shuttle till in q few
minutes it becomes nearly white and of such q
sistcncy to be drawn out to surprising length.
In this condition 1t is exceedingly sweet and de-
lightful candy, and has the advantage of being per-
fectly pure.
MUSICAL GAMES.
On this occasion. while the candy was being boiled
and while was discussing country gossip with the
pretty blonde. my attention was attracted by loud
singing in the yard in front of the house. 1t
and fell on the clear. soft evening air. queer min
CLING of melodious and discordant voices. from the
highest alto to the lowest bass and each in its
chosen key 1t was far from the unadulterated food
of melody one hears by moonlight the grand canal
in the far famed city OF music-Venice-and was
equally removed from that which inspired some quill
driver to unburden his soul with the beautiful but
fruitless sentiment
Music hath charms TO soothe the savage breast
$50 EAn-LY IN THE MonNI~o."
half dozen young men and boys. with about an
equal number OF girls as partners, were marching
around young lady seated in chair. who looked
they marched they sang, the voices OF the girls
minghng with those OF the sterner like silver
echoed In the pine forest which lay out from the
house fence. The song follows to very
simple yet not unmusical air.
Here's young lady sot down to sleep,
sTs: yosns LADY so. .o down dawn TO sleep
So early In the morning
She needs young q keep her awake,
She needs young man to keep her awake,
So early In The morning.
Write his name down spell It to me-
SO early In the morning.
Here the leader stopped down his ear 10 receive her
whispered choice. and when delivered, he resumed
the March. the young lady from the chair and
marching in the alone. and again the woods re-
sounded with
Mr. John Jones, your name Il Is called
y, John ,,,, Jones' Jones your name 4 + called
SO carly In the morning.
Mr.. John Jones came forward and seated himself in
the chair. and the whole song gone through again
with such arrangement of the words suited the
change from a ''young lady" to a 'younp man !"
into the next stanza. az his had been.
ELASTIC MELODY.
have forgotten her name, but IL was similar to- as
long and hard TO ht In as Polly Ann Jane Maria
Smith, but the tune elastic and accommodating
and the audience kind. and only laughed little
when the leader having stretched the air to the verge
destruction had several words left over which, If
you will permit the illustration, he thrust ont in a
straight line, incnng downward at an anglo OF sixty
degrees. This necessarily prolonged effort ended
like buge note which dies from sheer want of the
necessary raw material to keep 1t going IL is due
TO the history OF the TO say Miss Polly Ann
Jane Maria Smith became offended at the musical
indignty her name had received and stubbornly re-
In thA al IN m W ION
evening had the honor Of an introduction to her
was surprised TO find slender, meokcyed girl of
about thrty-hve summers. whose ringcts fell in .
cataract OF diminutive cork upon her shout
ders. Her vast had overwhelmed her energy
and put tito sleep ms by a narcotic. one name
would have killed 1t outright IL she only got
miffed, and soon thawed.
"sEvERE HR WAS AND STERN TO viRw."
Presently inischievous Miss selected a gentle
man of fortyhve long aud bony, profoundly digui-
fed. with whom Jest was n dark and unpardo nabe
crime and VINO gloried In a name whose unctuous