The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-03-11

| comparison neither in flavor nor In size
with tho poorest that are often TO BIO seen
| at country fairs. Oranges and bananas were
the luxury Of the rich. and. with all other trop-
| ical fruits. were seldom seen. for few packets
| could then mako tho voyage to the West Indies
under several weeks. Since that day our din
| ner tables have bsen enriched by the cauli-
| flower and tho egg plant" No appliances OK
listed for the storage and distribution Of lee
:" Tho coolest water tho tavern could afford
came from tho town pump. Evory thunder
| storm curdlsd the milk. aAd the butter was
| kept In tho dAmpest or coolest nook OF the
| cellar. or hung In pals down the WE'LL.
II the food Of New England farmer or
| burgher Was plain. 80 wero his clothes. For
meeting on a Sabbath and for state occasions
| during the week he had a suit OF broadcloth or
corduroy which lasted him lifetime. and was
at length bouueathed. little the worso for wear.
with his cattle and his farm. or his shop. TO
| his son. Tho suit In which his neighbors COM
monty saw him. the suit in which he followed
the plough. or piled his trade. and dozed In the
| chimney corner while Abigail or Comfort road
| to him from Edwardss Sermons was Of home
spun or linsoy -woosey. Tho entire sum an
nually laid out in those days bv a New England
farmer on clothes for himself. his wife. and
children was rldiculously small" Indeed. MIR.
McMaster thinks 1t not too much to sny that
many wBl-to-do father 'of.to-day. with n
less numerous family. expends each year on
coats and frocks and nnery sum sufficient
one hundred years ago to have betrayed the
public expenses Of u ilourishing village school,
master. constable. and highways included"
Tho author points out. however that we aro
not to suppose because tho New England
farmer Of 1884 was-n in possession OF we'll
stocked and well-cultivated farm. aud because
he ate plain food and woro plain clothes. that
he was by any means nm insignificant person
ago. His education. though not as profound
as u within the reach Of men Of his class at
present. was far from oontcmptible. His read
ing 1t 10 true. was. in general. confined
to such books as found their way In to
Peddlers' packs. The newspaper he rare
~ saw unless 1t came wrapped about a
bundle: but his inQuisitiveness amply supplied
Its place There is unauestionably much OK
aggeration In the stories that have come down
to us regarding this singular characteristic
Yet 1t is impossible to doubt in the presence Of
such a mass OF evidence. that no was tho most
shrewd. the most talkativs. the most inQ,iisi-
tive OF mortals The horseman who stopped at
his door to inquire the road was astounded at
the cagerness with which he sought for news
The jaded traveller ut tavern sat hungry mt
the board while the landlord piio,l him with
question after question. and gave bin tho
lHJoSt Dlt Town SCANDAL or tho last action OF
the committee men," The author goes on to
tell us that in politics no wns stanch patriot
and in religion u Congregationalist. but
1t 10 added that neither his views on
politics nor his opinions on matters touching
original sin we're the result Of long and patient
reflection. H0 was Jealous In the cause OF the
States. not so much because no considered tax
alton without representation unjust or the
stamp act IA tyrannical. but because the men
he looked up to wcro patriots and because he
believed the King had serious intentions Of
making the Church Of England the established
church OF America. Io was q CONGREGATIONAL
ist because his father and his grandfather had
been 30 before him. and he seemed not to know
that his religious belief and practices we're al
ready very different from those Of his Puritan
ancestors. and that the changes then begun
were to 60 silently on into our own time.
To his grandson his opinions seem to
belong to astraitlacsd. bgotsd and narrow
minded man. To his grandfather they would
have seemed such become a man on the
high road to episcopacy. He held it an
abomination to read novel. to SEQ u play to
60 to dance. to make q jest. to sing n comic
song. to eat q dinner cooked on a Sunday or to
give a present on Christmas Day. Yet no
would At times 30 far forget his austerity ~ to
play game OF draughts with his:wife or have
romp OF fox and geese with his children.
His conscience did not smite him when he
drank palm tea Mt quilting or watched the
achievements OF his better half at the spinning
match. He drank ale and cider ut the apple
pairing bees. and laughed as loudly IA any ono
when. at the corn husking the lucky finder OF
the red ear kissed his favorite daughter. But
the moment the fddIers were produced he
went home to his pipe and sermons. or to a
long talk with the schoolmaster."
York. We remark great difference OF manners
sentiments. and points of view. and it appears
that this dissembance md heterogeneity was
tho feature OF society at that period by which
tho foreign observer was most forcibly i'm
pressed. As regards. indeed. tho appliances
and rennements OF what would now be termed
civilization. tho town founded by the Holland
ers at tho mouth OF the Hudson was. after the
evacuation by the British troops in 1888. In no
respect superior to Boston. Moro than third
Of the old bureh lay in ashes. two fires
having between them consumed eight hun
dred houses. Scarcely street was paved
and tho few footways pitched with stones wers
so uneven that Franklin said q New Yorker
could be told by his walk as he shuffled over
the smooth pavements Of Philadelphia. Street
lamps. which had come into fashion ton years
before. were now fcw In number. and rarely
lighted on wet nights. nor was there much
noed OF them. the fashion OF keeping late hours
not having como in. Yet the city OF New York
WAS famous among all colonial towns for routs
and riots the luxury and display OF It's citi-
zens. and for gayety and festivity." But the
rout was over and the guests safe at home long
before the Waterman was heard crying in the
streets: Nine o'clock. and alls WELL"
Tho author goes on to recount how many OF
the old Dutch customs were still kept up. For
example; New England could boast OF no
such holiday as New Years Day. Boston and
Philadelphia saw no such scenes rs on every
Christmas and every Easter Day were enacted
in New York" For. despite tho boast made
even at that epoch. that men speaking tho
tongue OF every civilized people were to be
found on Manhattan Island. the Dutch ele-
mont was still strong. and the language and
religion Of Holland were most prevalent
Half the signs on William street were