The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-09-25

UPPER CANADA,


UPPER CANADA.
A Country Which Had Slavery Until 1793-
Inc Days OF No .Stores-1he Old-Easlion-
CD Fireplace Baking n-the Ashes-Leeks
as Food-Popular Beliefm
Witchcraft.
In a former letter, writes a corre-
spondent to The Toronto Globe. I brief
~ spoke of slavery as once existing in
ontario. Many persons who have not
looked INTO the history of our country
closely have been almost disposed to
doubt my statement. The subject is
SO interesting that ! will speak more
Iully on the point. Great Britain abol-
ished slavery in the British West In
ules as late as 1888, and paid ego, 600,
Duo tor the slaves to their owners. 1t
Is Difficult AT this time to tell why our
lorefathers in Ontario were so much
IN advance of the mother country as
well as the United States, for we find
thatthey abolished slavery from Upper
Canada in July, 1893. tOfcourse there
were not many slaves in Upper Canada
at the time; still there were some, but
III seems no compensation was ever
paid to the owners for such slaves.
Just think what Il fearful cost of treas
ure and precious lives the United
States were called upon in the late
war to stand. III order to rid their
country OF slavery. Had they abolish
ed slavery at the time our f%orefathers
did, no doubt the great wal of the re-
bellion would have been avertea, and
besides, in 1898, when we abolished
slavery, they could not have had very
many slaves at the most, and ever If
they We're paid for they would not have
cost anything like SO great a sum us
Great Britain paid for her West India
slaves in 1888.
Ihenl maintain that our forefathers
IN Upper Canada in 1898 were far in
advance in public spirit and true phi
lanthropy OF II American cousins, for
we do not find that the Americans at
this time made any great agitation to
rio their country Of the curse of slave
~. II there We're no other fact to be
proud of in our early history or proud
ot our country. this act of our fore
fathers is one in which we can Justly
take pride and makes us more fervent-
y prize our peerless Upper Canada.
Not wishing to be too elaborate on
ibis subject. yet l feel that | must in
sert the act abolishing slavery in full.
In July, 1898, the first Parliament of
Upper Canada, at its full session. called
together at Niagara by Lieut.. Gov.
John Graves Simcoe, passed an act as
follows:
CHAPTER z, SECTION 1. Hereafter
no person shall obtain a license fortle
importation OF any negro or other per-
son who shall come or be brought into
this province after the passing of this
act, to be subject to the condition of a
lave; Q shall any voluntary contract
Of service be binding for a longer term
than nine years.
Sec. 2. This clause enables the pres
ant owners of slaves in their posses
sion to retain them or bind out their
children until they attain the age of
Il years.
SEC. 3. And in or6er to prevent the
continuance OF slavery in this province
the children that shall be born of
female slaves after the passing
81 this act to remain in the service OF
The owner of their mother until the
age of 25 years, when they shall be
discharged. ift @
PROVIDED, tina IN case any issue Shall
be born of such children during their
seryitude or after, such issue shall be
entitled 10 all the rights of frce-born
subiects.
BY this simple act of our first parlia-
n'cnt our country was .enectually rid
Of this pest without shedding a drop
Of blood or the expenditure of a sin
gle dollar in money. All honor to our
torefathers and Il thrice for our ban-
ner free province. Our forefathers at
This time and long after had no stoves
n their Lighthouses. All cooking us
well as heating was done by the fire
place. A crane swung on hinges into
his great fireplace, which could be
swung out from the fire at pleasure.
attached to this al was an iron
having notches therein, and fitting
over this pendant iron rod was an
other shorter iron, with a link as OF a
chain on the end thereof. This link
lifted into the notches on the first men
toned iron. BY this means the lower
iron could be raised OF lowered. Now,
by hanging a pot IN the lower end of
she shorter iron rodYit could be raised
pr lowered into or above the fire at
pleasure. Thus our forefathers did
Ehcir first cooking in Upper Canada.
The corr cake. or wheaton cake, when
they had it. was baked in the ashes,
and wonderfully sweet old persons
thought it. The fact hatit4wa COW,
cred with some loose ashes did not de-
tract from its sweetness; these were
soon brushed away, leaving the tooth
some cake within.
The first Improvement in the culin-
AIRY art'of our sforefathers came the
5ake-oven. These were tin trays, as
IT. were, open on n side. They
would be set before the fireplace, with
the open side fronting the fire. Thus
The rays of heat would be collected,
and in aAmeasure confined within the
oven, and the bread or cakes within
were soon, nicely Drowned and baked.
1t was considered an immense stride
by our forefathers when they got.these
b~ake-oYens, and for years they did not
aspire to anything better.
Ovens out of doors were built by
some of stone. Such were conical in
shape and open in the center. An
immense fire would be, built in this
outdoor oven and. when burnt to zeal
live Goals, would be all drawn out. Its
stones would thus be thoroughly heat
ed. Into the cavity in which the fire
had been the bread would be inserted
and the door s%toppediup. Enough la
tent heat would remain in the stones
to thoroughly bake at least two batch
IS Of bread. But this was done at q
fearful waste of wood, which, of
course, was of no account atthat time.
1 The advent of stoves hanUe all that
and now a fireplace of'wood in an On
tario home is a luxury than a
necessity, and but few are to be found.