The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-07-27
Social Condition Of the Colonies Before the
Revolution,

ntNOluJlOu,
The style of architecture prevailing
throughout the colonies in the early
part of the eighteenth century giyes
proof enough that the mode of living
among the higher classes at the period
must everywhere have been much the
same. The same great square edifces,
the same stocks of chimneys, the same
tiles, the same mahogany stairways,
and the same carving are still to be
seen in the old dwellings of Ports
mouth, Newburyport, Salem, Boston,
Newport, Philadelphia, Annapolis, and
Norfolk. When Washington came
from Mount Vernon to Cambridge as
commander of the American army, he
occupied as head quarters a house re.
sembling in many respects his own |;
and this was one of line of similar
houses, afterwards known as "Tory
Row." and extending from Harvard
College to Mount Auburn. These
were but the types of the old series of
colonial or rather provincial houses,
North and South. Sometimes they
were built of wood, the oaken frames
being brought from England, some
times OF bricks brought from Scotland,
sometimes of stone. The chief differ
ence between the Northern and South
ern houses was that the chambers, being
less ample and comfortable in the
Southern houses, and the windows were
smaller, while for the same reason
there was much more lavishness in the
way of piazzas. Every one accustom.
ed to the Northern houses is surprised
at the inadequate chambers Of Mount
Vernon, and it appears from the dairy
OF Mr. Frost, New England traveller
in 1877, that he was then so struck
with the smallness of the windows as
to have made note of it. The stair
way at Arlington is singularly dispro-
portioned to the external dignity of
the house, and there is tradition that
at the funeral of Jefferson the stairway
of the house at Monticello proved too
narrow for the coffin, so that it had to
be lowered from the window. All
this was the result of outdoor climate,
and apart from these trivial variations
the life North and South was much the
same-stately and ceremonious in the
higher classes, with social distinctions
much more thoroughly marked
than we are now accustomed to remem-
ber
We know by the private memoirs of
the provincial period-for instance,
from the charming recollections of Mrs.
Quincy-that the costumes and man
ners Of the upper classes were
everywhere modelled on the English
style of the period. Even after the
war of Independence, when the wealth
ier inhabitants of Boston had largely
gone into exile at Halifax, the churches
were still filled on important occasions
with gentlemen wearing wigs, cooked
hats, and scarlet cloaks and before the
Revolution the display must have been
far greater. In Maryland, at some
what earlier period, we find an adver-
tisement in the Maryland Gazette of a
servant who offers himself ''to wait on
table, curry horses, clean knives, boots,
and shoes, lay table, shave, and
dress wigs, carry lantern, and talk
French is as honest as the times will
admit, and as sober as can be-" From
this standard of servants accomplish
ments we can easily infer the mode of
life among the masters.
A striking illustration of these So
cial demarkations is to be found in the
general catalogues, now called "trien.
nial," or "quinquennial,' of our older
colleges. Down to the year 176S at
Yale, and 1888 at Harvard, the stu
dents of each class will be found ar
ranged in an order which is now alpha
betical, as at the present day, but seems
arbitrary. Now at all they were ar
radged according to the social positions
of their parents and we know from
the recollection of the venerable Paine
Wingate that the first thing done by
the college authorities on the admission
OF new class was to ascertain by
careful inquiry the relative social posi-
ton of the parents. According to this
position the young students were
"placed' in the dining hall and the
recitation room, and upon this was also
oased the choice of college rooms Had
they always retained this relative posi-
tion it would have been less CALLING,
but while the most distinguished stu
dent could not rise in the list, the rep
robates could fall and the best schol
ar in the class might find himself not
merely in low position through his
parentage, but fianked on each side by
scions of more famed families who
have been degraded by their own folly
or vice. There could not be more
conclusive proof that American provin-
cial society, even in the Eastern colo
MES, was founded, down to almost the
time of the final separation from Eng
land, on an essentially aristocratic ba-
sis.
In the same connection it must be re-
membered that in the eighteenth cen
tury slavery gave the tone of manners
through all the colonies. No matter
how small the proportion of slaves, ex-
perience shows that it affected the
whole tone of society. In Massachus
etts, in l775, there was probably a pop
ulation of some 100000 of whom but
5000 were slaves. 1t was enough the
effect followed 1t was in Cambridge
Massachusetts, not in Virginia, that
Longfellow found his tradition of the
lady who was buried by her own order
with slave attendants
"At her feet and at her head
Lies slave to attend the dead:
But their dust Is as white as hers"
1t is curious to compare this COM
mand of this dying lady of the Vas
sail race-whether it was an act of ar
rogance or of humility-with the self
humiliation of Virginia dame of the
same period, who directed the burial
Of her body beneath that portion of
the church occupied by the poor, as she
had despised them in life, and wished
them to trample upon her when dead.
UistOrians have dwelI 10 rnnch | thinl.