The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-09-04
New England by the Back Door I"
Look ed into by a SOutberner.


LEBANON, CONN.,, August 20, 1880.
LETTER No. 8.
Lacking closely at the face OF one oil
tbose women whose habit 1t Is to do the
washing OF The family. saw, what bad moi
before observed, that In her youth she must
have been quite pretty. Her education had
rot been neglected, her tastes were re-
fined. her brow showed intellect. The
yiyacity, the ease and grace OF man
pcr, the flow OF conversation on many
topics. so natural to women OF leisure, were
wanting. They bad gone, methouebt, INTO
the wasb-tub and cooking'stove. ana YET
tired as she was on washing. and ironing
DAYS, she was not unhappy. Her father, a
man In good circumstances, not grasping,
but noted rather for bis liberaity, bad pre-
ferred for her the school OF the milliner TO
the fashionable boarding school, and as a mir
liner she bad worked for many years. Her
husband, who is evidently pr0speriDg and
certainly Is kind, thinks it no hardship for
her do the work TO which l have alluded.
Neither he nCr his wife appear 10 regard 1t
as drudgery.
Here. then, Is the grand social division
between North and South. Here comes IN
the saving which makes one section rich
and keeps The other In debt. "But the
woman holds Up the heavy end OF the log,
and that Is not right" In this particular
case the husband finds better-paying work
than milking, chopping wood, gardening,
ETC.; but thousands OF husbands do these
things as a matter OF course. have seen a
professional man, well enough off to be
thought rich in our part OF the world, black
ing his shoes on his front porch, where
every passer.by could see him. The minis
ter in -, man OF attainments, often
passed through the principal street OF the
village. pail in hand, on his return from
milking. Illustrations drawn from his
personal experience as farmer gave a
point to bis sermons that nothing else
could have given. The richest citizen in
-, man OF fiity-eight, blows big born
In the village band. Not only bOteI.men,
but merchants, doctors, &c, have carried
my trunk up and down stairs. Only the
large city hotels indulge in the luxury OF
porter. Ny landlord In Litcbfeld said he
had been thinking for long time about
getting little darky to set up In business
as q bootblack. 1--WE three hotels" said
he. sought to give him good living" In
brief. the men as well as the women OF New
England know how to use their hands, and
are not afraid to soil them. Ii is the Gus
-
ing. "a Lebanon town account OF SER
vices and supplies upon this occasion" 0he
breaking out OF the revolution) "made out
subsequently,, as in all the towns OF CoDnec-
ticut, for settlement at the colonial treasury,
awards Trumbull, for his own personal Ia
Dor at this time, the sum OF two pounds
and sixteen sbillings. "-Stuarps Life OF
Jonathan Trumbull, ST., page 179. Trum-
bull was then Governor OF the State, but
had store few hundred yards from where
/ am now writing, and there he did the box
ing, barrelling, ETC., for which the above
bill was rendered.
Such things on the part OF men and women
do not tally with our southern customs or
fit into our modes OF thought. But what
will you! You can't eat your cake and
have il too. In its last form the question
shapes itself thus: I" Isn't 1t better 10 have
fewer ladies and gentlemen and more in
depeudence?" You and might say "No,"
but taking the world as we find it, there |
would be much TO rejoice at il all its rural
districts were peopled as New England is. |
But moment ago laid down the pencil |
TO listen to the singing Of a young girl next |
door. She sings well and accompanies her. |
self on the piano. In the morning she is
dressed In plain calico, but in the afternoon
she appears in nicer attire, with her hair |
carefully curled, and while she tends the
flowers in the front yard sings for very hap
piness.
ais that free concert, Carrie 2" asked
companion about her own age who lives in |
the house with NE.
YES" is the answer. 81 don't care who |
hears me sing"
do not know 1t TO be fact, but think it |
quite probable that che helps IN the house
Keeping, aud possibly In the cooking and
washing also. Her father owns farm some
three miles from town, TO which he goes ia |
the morning and returns at night. His hun
dred acres nave enabled him to build this /
handsome, wei.equipped house OF ten or
twelve rooms, with bay-window, &c, in the
modern style.
And now Ii is high time should say
about Lebanon itself. My sole
motive for coming here was to see Yankees
whose abdominal regions were as azure as
any In the hottest radical centre OF Massa-
A lawyer in Litcb6eld assured
me would find them here, aud an intelli-
gent gentleman OF the town confirms his
statement. On this head more anon.
An intoxicated man, anxious TO bet every
body any amount on anything, occupied the
same seat with me on the way from New
Haven to New London, aud at the latter
place the smokiDg.car was invaded by lot
Of young fellows In red flannel necties, who
yelled and carried on at prodigious rate.
The conductor looked on 10 silence, but the
enjoyed their pranks, such as
cigars out OF each others mouths,
pulling hats over heads, and so on. They
were members OF club OF some kind, who
bad been winning and dining ia New Lon
don that day. This is the only unbecoming
conduct / have seen during my three.weeks'
visit.
The New London Northern railroad takes
you up the valley OF the beautiful Thames.
past Yantic, Norwich, Norwich Town, and
divers towns and villages whose names !
have forgotten. A few miles south OF Will
lImantic Is Lebanon Station, as lonely
looking place as you will End In this thickly-
settled country. Night was approaching,
The driver 0f the nail-wagon was not forth
coming, but soon would be. 1t turned out
that, having no mail to meet on the train
hat brought me up, he had gone TO q
neighb0ring town on business and did not
make bis appearance till the following morn
Ing. This fortunately enabled me 10 sup at
Dne house and sleep at another. thus giving
ne new eIimpses OF life. Attic nrst house
Ihe hAtrack made me think that / had
run into female boarding-schooI, 30 full
81 feminine hesd-Rear was IL. There were
! number Of young ladies', two or three OF
whom we're schooI-teachers taking q rustic
vae&tion, married lady bonrder; the mis-
|ress of the house and her TWO daughters
the list. 'rhe younger Of these
lwO daughteu was = lively girl, who got
pun4e0 IA the'eye that very evening while