Connecticut western news., 1883-02-07
AN OLD TIME HUSKING BEE.
WHAT TT WAS IN ITS REALITY.
How the Boys and the Girls Enjoyed Them-
 selves in the Olden Times.

selves in the Olden Times.
 Twenty years since there was genuine
 husking-bee in Vermont Our fathers
 and mothers went to them occasionally
 but the custom was dying out then
 gradually it became thing of the past
 and now you never hear of one, except
 as sort of initiative reminiscence of the good old times-a mongrel exhibition ot the real thing, gotten up more to set of the histrionic talent of the rural lyceum than to revive the true spirit of the ven- erable custom. Nevertheless, we have traditions of the husking-bee, which show what truly delightful and roman tic custom 1t was. If we could but re- store the charm of some of our good, old-fashioend New England observances, by circulating the traditions of them, we should have gained the best means of displacing the "balls" and "shows ; which have so unworthily succeeded them. will try and give yop picture of the genuine husking-bee, as it used to exist in Vermont, and as hope it may again exist in our rural districts before the onward march of civilization re- moves the conditions necessary to its observance.
 These conditions still prevail, just as truly as they did twenty or thirty years ago, and there is no reason in the world why the custom should have been aban- doned, except that metropolitan ways and fashions are being brought into the country, and people think that they must ape them or else be left behind the times. Every village, forsooth, has to have its dance hall, and 8 sort of ridiculous as- sembly manner is imported at fifth hand from the metropolis, and the boys and girls will be stylish, and dress after the fashion plates, and have an idea of the art of twlnkhng their heels. But put one of them, at their best, in city parlor, and the wax will run from his wings faster than it ever did from Icarus's when he thought to get little above his proper sphere and have look at the sun, Country ways and country customs are the best for country people. They are beautiful Tn their place, and they ought to exist in their place as long as their place exists for them. When somebody lnvents machine that will husk 8 pile of corn faster, better, cheaper and with more satisfaction all around than forty boys and girls, whose services can be had for the asking, whether you offer them pumpkin pies and doughnuts or the fun and your thanks for their guerdon, then 1t will be time to give up the good old custom of husking- bees
 We'll, here we are in the big fragrant barn, with the forty lads and lasses. There has been clean sweeping be- ! tween the mows, and the floor is as neat as the deck of man-of-war. It is eight o'clock of November evening sharp, without, to be sure, and bit frosty within, but what care we, with our coats | and caps and shawls and mittens on? A goodly number of lanterns have been hung from the beams and over the doors | and on wire stretched between the mows, and it is light enough to see the red corn peeping through the curled edges of the husks, as they lie piled up in great heap midway of the floor light enough to see tbe glow of health on the cheeks of the boys and girls and to reveal the traces of the paint pot and the burned match and the powder rag, if there were any.
 l The good man of the barn and his buxom dame go about shaking hands with the young people and asking after the "folks,'' and when their ss huskin' is comin' off, and how many COWS they were milking, and so forth, without once troubling their heads about "intro- ducing' their guests, or seeing that they are paired off" which is spontaneous process in country gatherings, and al- ways happens of itself. Later in the evening it is expected that more of the old folks will drop in. just to see how the husking comes out, and sample some of the good cheer. The days of gratuitous activity have long since passed, but they do love to see the young people enjoy themselves '
 in the profitable combination of business
 and pleasure
 When the guests have all arrived the
 boys go to work and pull great armfuls
 If hay from the mow, which they spread
 around the heap of corn. Then eacI
 seats himself by his favorite girl, draws bundle of husks into the hay between them, and the husking begins. Worl is by no means suffered, however, to in
 terfere with play.
 The merry joke goes round; the stole1 mitten travels about the circle and bacl , to it's owner at last. If girl happen , to pull the husk from dark-red ear. sh
 must forfeit kiss to the lad who is near est or quickest to snatch it. As fast a s the ears are removed from the husk they are thrown into two separate piles
 one for each party on opposite sides o r the heap; and there is sure to be dea of pleasant rivalry to see which side vii n have the larger heap of corn when tn l husking is done. .-.. k It is wonderful to see how fast tn t mountain of unhusked corn is lowered h though the farmer and his boys kee " bringing fresh basketfuls and pilin ), them on the heap. A perfect storm ( e the golden ears keeps raining on eac :. pile of corn. As the supply of materi, $ fails the contest waxes warmer.
 d The girls throw off their hoods an