The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-06-26
FoRTY-FNE YEARS AGO.
How the Boys of Western New York Used
to Enjoy sublnnary Existence.
TCor. San Francisco Argonaut-l


to Enjoy SublUnary Existence
[Cor. San Francisco Argonaut.l
In winter we snow-b alled, slid down
hill, and stated In summer we swan in
the creek and boated in the pond. There
was village debating society, and we had
district spelling schools. We drove the
girls to apple pairing bees In "pungs,
made with crockeFy crates on ~bob-sleds"
filed with straw and buffalo robes. There
were husking frolics, candy pulings,
maple sugar making, summer plcn1cs,
general training. Fourth OF July celebra-
lions, Thanksgiving dinners We did not
dance because it was wicked; we played
games and kissed the girls for forfeits. In
summer we played ball, and our mothers
made the balls of yarn unraVeled from old
stockings covered with old buckskin
gloves We made the bats ourselves
We pitched quoits, and the quoits were
old horse-shOes or fiat stones.
In winter we broke steers and colts. In
hog. killing times we blew up the bladders
and roasted pig-tails In the long winter
evenings, around a blazing fire, we had
apples, cider, butternuts and hickory nuts
these gathered in the summer, and their
gathering was a holiday. In summer
after the dandelions came we went bare
foot In spring we made corn-stalk nd
dies. whistles from the willow, and flutes
from pumpkin vines We fshed with
angle-worms We went to school in the
winter, doing the chores in the morning
and evening We worked on the farm IN
summer.
To amuse ourselves we went to the me-
nagerie, or exhibition of wild animals, to
which all the country young folks might
go the circus was tabOOed TO the more
orthodox families, who made conscienc.
an excuse for meanness. This class OF
Young folk skirmished for the shilling OF
admission, or crawled under the tent
Accompanying the circus was the side
show of the fat woman, the boa con
strictor, and the AlbinO children. The
clown of that day was better than the one
of to day; the horseback rider has never
been surpassed. General training was
great occasion. Election day came in
August; it was an important day for
settling fights and for wrestling matches.
The Fourth of July was the grandest day
in the year. 1t had its procession, read
ing of the Declaration, Grafton and poem.
and in the evening fireworks, fire. balls of
cotton-w soaked in turpentine, lighted
and thrown by the hand. We had Chi
nese e-crackers-sixpence package. A
blacksmith's anvil placed above another
did duty as artillery, and was fired at sun
rise on Independence day. The great so
cial festival was New Years Day. Christ
mas had about it the flavor of popery, and
In those days Rome was regarded as the
scarlet blonde bad woman of Babylon
1t was the beginning of negro min
strelsy." A learned pig was exhibited
which could play cards and step among
eggs without breaking them. The show
bill described the performance as "the
learned pig dancing on eggs An occa
sional concert was given with comic songs
Il recall one: Pretty Polly Polly Hop
kins, how do you dor None the better,
Mr. Tommy Tommy Tompkins for see
ing you. Another was Coal black
Rose, and Jump Jim Crow.