Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-12-12

out fennemenG. ana SO IL Will De seen
that our homespun fathers and mothers
made Puritan Arcadia among these
hills, answering to the picture which
Polybius, himself an Arcadian, gave of
his countrymen, when he said that they
had, "throughout Greece high and
honorable reputation; not only on ac-
count of their hospitality 10 strangers,
and their benevolence towards all men,
but especially on account of their piety
towards the Divine Being"
Thus, if we speak of what, in the po-
lite world, is called society, our home
spun age has just none Of it-and per-
haps the more of society for that reason;
because what they had was separate
from all the polite fctions and snowy
conventionalities of the world. | speak
not here of the rude and promiscuous
gatherings connected so often with low
and vulgar excesses; the military train
ings, the huskings, the raisings, COM
monty ended with wrestling match.
These were their dissipations, and per-
haps they were about as good as any.
The apple-paring and quilting frolics
you may set down, if you will. as the
polka-dances and masquerades of home
spun. If they undertook a formal en-
tertainment of any kind, it was common
ly stiff aud quite unsuccessful. But
when some two queens of the spindle,
specially fond of each other, instead of
calling back and forth with a card-case
in their hand, agreed to 'join work." as
it was called, for week or two. in SPIN
ming, enlivening their talk by the rival
buzz of their wheels, and, when the two
skeins were done, spending the rest of
the day IN such kind of recreation as
pleased them, this to them was real So
ciety, and, so far, a good type of all the
society they had. 1t was the society
not of the Nominallsts. but of the royal
laborers; society in or after work; spon-
taneously gathered, for the most part, in
terms of elective afinity-foot excur-
sions of young people, or excursions on
horseback, after haying, to the tops of
the neigh boring mountains; boatings on
the river or the lake by moonlight. fill
ing the wooded shores and the recesses
of the hills with lively echoes; evening
schools of sacred music, in which the
music was not so sacred as preparing to
be; evening circles of young persons,
falling together, as they imagine, by ac-
cident, round some village queen of song,
chasing away the time in ballads and
glees so much faster than they wish,
that just such another accident is like to
happen soon; neighbors called in to
meet the minister and talk of both
worlds together. and, if he is Timber
enough to suffer it, in such happy mix
lures, that both are melted into one.
But most of all to be remembered are
those friendly circles, gathered so otter
round the winters fre-not the stove
but the fire, the brightly blazing, hos
pitable fire. In the early dusk tht
home circle is drawn more closely anc
quietly round it; but good neighboI
and his wife drop in shortly, from oveI
the way, and the circle begins to spread
Next. few young folk from the othe
end of the village, entering in briske
mood, find as many more chairs set il
as wedges into the periphery to receiv,
them also. And then friendly sleigh
full of old and young, that have COM
down from the hill to spend an hour o
two, spread the circle again. moving i
still farther back from the fire; and tn
fire blazes just as much higher and NOR
brightly. having a new stick added 70
every guest. There is no restraint, Ger
tainly no affectation of style. They tel
stories. they laugh, they sing. The
are serious and gay by turns, or tn
young folks 60 on with some play, Will
the fathers and mothers are discussing
some hard point in theology in the min
ister's last sermon, or perhaps the grea
danger coming to sound morals from tn
multiplication of turnpikes and newspa
pers Meantime the good housewif
brings out her choice stock of home
grown exotics, gathered from thre
realms, doughnuts from the pantry
hickory-nuts from the chamber, and tn
incest, smoothest apples from the cellar
all which, including, | suppose | mus
add, the rather unpoetic beverage tina
gave its acid smack to the ancient hos
pitality, are discussed as freely, with n
fear of consequences. And then, as th
tall clock in the corner of the roof
ticks on majestically towards nine, th
conversation takes. it may be, a littl
| a L..
that very happy evening may ftly b
ended with prayer. Whereupon th
circle breaks up with reverent. COZ
gratulative look on every face. which
itself the truest language of social n;
ture blessed in human fellowship.
Such, in general, was the society {
the homespun age. 1t was not that ST