The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-11-01
,irI,llluIld Iispallll.
i, oCAI, MATTERS.


j, OCA.I, NE ALTERS.
Fl FL
Al, RaiiOW Fen.
rug FIRST nAY OF THE .fi s.s.,
or EeyENBEs w as Oh .EBEATsD ~ 2
ss taIpES TrME.--TTES ASp, NOW.
ss with the first day of November comes sile
t,rst day OF winter. In EngIsnd tilree cen.
sur:.s ago the tfst OF November was deemea
i .ha' Jnt,sai.fta OF winter. The fruits from
si.e orchard. The crops from the fields, were
aarnered ,lp; and the piles OF fuel rearing
Their nyraniitaI heads around tue homes %
oide, times gave them, an aspect OF comfort
hat seernea 20 saw defiantlv, 9 Blow { Ola
Boreas,o The gloom OF November ana the
annroaehiug 1ros,s and SHOWS were forgot
Ton and unbceded in the merry fah1iiy circle
around the cheerful blazing winters tre. !.
Three hundred years ago m English poet
sang:
q ahc wrathful winter hast'ntng on apace
ivs,s bnst'sfny bsast hath barred The treen,
aud aid satnynus, with ms frosty face.
with chilling cold hath pierced inc tcnder
The rssniie,s rent, wherein unwrapped been
The gadsome groves that now lay oerinrown'
The tapes torn anu eacn sree oioW I uo"A'
And The force Of those lines may be felt as
keenly to-day as did the men OF that epoch.
Winter, ne are told, was a season more
devoted TO seii-commuDion 10 our "erana-
fathers days" than now. Ihen cue 'hous'
trv OF the other seasons guaranteed aouh,
Ia,ca for winter. and even nature rested
Srnn, har activity. The genial fire enliyen-
cd with Laughter, music, the reading OF
taIes OF adventure, made our ancestors oD-
l;y,ous 10 the stern world outside. Wei
come was tho minstrel, or he who ccu'd re-.
late in song or story the chlvalrlc oeeos o.
men and women OF ages much farther III
the buried past. = ,s.4.s.g .-.,,4...
November Day, as the first day was called,
,xvas celebrated by our forefathers, we are
Told. so a ilay OF rejoicing and festivity-for
the harvest produce iust gathered and the
onaninp OF. the holiday season--a season OF
.inh;iee. The young Of both sexes gathered
together on this evening and performed o
Great variety OF tricks and games, many OF
she,y, nretendii,g to develop heart-secre's ID
the RECESS eli OF fuiuritY. These tricks and
Games were not confined 10 any one coun-
rrv in Europe, bat were general TIL driven
away by The colder sway OF professiona'
rtiljtarianisr, and selfi>hness, such as RUE
America to-day. People were not t1en
bothered about candidates. or elections: NO
cases OF death from Starvation no suiclues'
no murders, no seductl0ns, no Divorces
characterized those bygone times Inen
sbere was much happiness and pientIness;
sben. II they were less enlightened. they
were more charitable and less vicious.
thousands OF our readers will no DOUBT
echo that warming for the restoration OF the
snorts- nastiu,es, and uBselfsbness OF the
oidep time-features that may never be seen
again. E ~.
5nce tbe winter with. It was made OF new
wheat. plump and round, boiled in sweet
milk till the grains cracked and the liquid
became Jelly, when the mass was piled on
to dishes and sweetened to taste. Colcan-
non was YaVorite dish in Ireland, and was
composed OF & large boiler OF pared pota-
toes. turnips. parsnips, &c, boiled well to-
gtther, strained apd pounded with sweet
milk, butter, and fragrant herbs, the hrst
OF that autumn's saving. II is said to have
been a delicious dish, and one on which
monarch might sup with Infinite gu<to.
The homeless and friendless had cordial
invitation to those fsStal celebrations, and
the bospitalties awarded TO stran gers was
feature Of such q festival. After supper
the younger members of the family and
their Juvenile neishbots congregated in
some well-regulated, wel-ventilated, we'll
lighted barn and performed most OF trlcKS,
amusing and prophetic.
Snan-apDle was one-a decidedly fayorite
amusement. Two cross-st!cks were sus-
pended from the rafters by cord just long
enough to bring the cross-stickS on level
with the operators nose. At two ends OF
the cross-stfcks two lighted candles were
secured, and to. the other two ends two
large apples. The operator with bis hands
secured behind his back) was required to
snap one OF the apples in bis or her mouth,
but to the great amusement OF the lockers
on the operator would get the candle there
oftener than the apple. 1914
Diving was another OF the games or that
day. It was simply pitching large apples
into tubs filled with water, and the divers,
barred to the waist, catch them. with the
mouth and teeth. Some were SO expert as
10 raise small silver coin from the bottom
of the tub by the sole aid Of their lips and
teeth. Great amusement was evoked when
the bead OF the timid diver was immersed
in the cold waters OF the dlying-vat. 81.
Lead-melting was another OF the games
OF that day. Each youth and maiden would
melt in a crucible portion OF lead, and
when melted, pour it into basin through
a new wedding-ring., The lead assumes
grotesque shapes, which, in the es.of the
village cranes, indicate the life, calling, his.
tory, and end Of the beau or sweetheart OF
the: operator. =, '-.s -
Undertaking was an old and iayorite
sport. Two nuts are named for two OF The
company male and female-.placed on a
hot pan, and the constancy or inconstancy
of the youthful pair is indicated by. the
burning or cracking and separation Of the
burning nuts. a<..n. ,s.&
This is the night when fairies befoul the
fruit that remains ungat'iered on the trees !;
the night when, mischierous spirits. play
cruel pranks on young men going home late
from The froIic. Many were found astride
OF q hobgoblln, and after being carried over
the most dangerous paths and places, till
the cock crows, were cast into pile OF
briars or brambles, to the evident discom-
future of their clothing and many abrasures
OF their cuticles. Thousands OF tales were
rife with substituting adventures on Hal.
low e'er, as November night has been called.
These adventures among the good old war-
locks have been driven away by modern
spirituaiism, the electric telegraph and the
locomotive. November Day Is, in the Catho-
lie Church. called f." All-Saints Day." and is
set apart by the Church to the honor OF the
whole troupe Of saints that chant Alleluias
before the Eternal Throne.