Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-03-17

Popular Amu.emeuss sixty Years Ago.
RAIsrNGs, TRAINING DAY AND TRANSPORTING
-sLEIGH RIDING AND THE WEDDINGS THAT
FOLLOWED.
From the Milwaukee Wisconsin. March Sd
Silas Chapman read another paper on New
England customs 60 years ago before the Chau-
tauqua Circle at the parlors of the Grand Ave-
nue. Congregational church last evening. The
branch OF the subject for the evening was
"Amusements." The paper is given below:
The festivals, games and amusemsnts OF New
England 90 years ago were as conspicuous,
perhaps, for their quiet and simplicity as for
ana other feature. give an account of few
in an unconnected way.
Raisng-that is the putting up OF the frame
OF new building-was always the occasion OF
a ma, MONDAY sometimes even TO the school
cnituten INVITATIONS were sent out Ia ali the
aoie-oodied men within a reasonable distance
10 meet at the appointed time To raise the
This successfully accomplished, a feast fol-
Iowed, and then succeeded contests OF strength,
thinss ~ .tin 5 .nro~ing weaghts1sh the same
ago.
Two amusements now SO common every
Were there conspicuously misunderstanding and
dancing Skating was not practiced anywhere
haps in the Sspi,v York eS t hSre p
where else; not that IL was forbidden pleasure.
put because IL was not then developed. L did
not see pair of skates until was 10 years old.
As for dancing and balls every true New Eng
lander held them I'm adherence None but a
these probably because !, looked SO much like a
sin. L do not think that n dance. either public
or private, ever came of i'm that moral place 1
was conversant with within the first century of
us existence, and perhaps not since nor 40
tnlnk that place was alone In this.
tion. Boston was the only place i'm New Few Eng
land where a theater existed. No travelling
company perambulated the country. 1t was
considered a place of all iniquity, corrupt and
corrupting. In 1851 think that is the date,
give from memory-some theatrical folk of Bos-
ton attempted To start n theater in Lowell, but
all classes i'm that city resisted these efforts aud
the room prepared was actually demolished.
10 the youngster the holiday OF ALL scarcely
exceeded by Thanksgiving, WAS the day of gem
erai training. This was day exclusively for
men and boys-not for women and girls. For
company training days were half holidays to us
children. We were permitted To leave school
ana ENJOY ourselves as We could. while the girls
who could not enter into the zest of the happi-
ness were left to the cold care of the teacher.
But the general training was the day of all days.
1t was in september, the military force of the
country, or at least OF the full regiment, WAS
brought together on one field a veritabe field
OF the cloth OF gold 10 Us. Preparations were
made for the day weeks beforehand. Pennies
were boarded, plans were laid, companies
chosen. every village and farm house sent out
all its able-bodied male tenants. and the adjoin-
ing pine woods Were filled with teams and men.
W hat the great enjoyment was L am now
scarcely able To define. We did not watch tho
military evoutions, for cared nothing for
them. We ate gingerbread-the good old kind,
mean. cannot say why, but know We had
good time.
OF the regular legal holidays we had but two
the Fourth OF July and Thanksgiving. The
change in the manner OF observing the first Of
these Is SO slight that pass il at once. Christ
| mas We did not keep. Ii was an unknown day
even by name, except among the Episcopal
| churches, and the number OF these was small.
You have read often of the greatness of Thanks
giving day in the opinion and practices OF the
genuine Yankee. IL was full compensation
| Tor the loss OF Christmas. Three or four weeks
before the great event the proclamation OF the
| governor OF the state appointing the long
expected day was read in full from the
| pulpit. 1t was printed on a large sheet OF
paper like a poster, and always ended like the
| other governmental procLamations with "God
save the Commonwealth OF Massachusetts"
| 1t was the family gathering day. No barrier
| that could be passed might keep the distant
one away. The gathering commenced Wednes-
day for the distant ones, Thursday tor the
| nearer. The sermon In the morning, feasting
| in the afternoon, and social intercourse in the
evening. The next day (for this great festival
| was not TO be limited To one day. was devoted
to amusements. Turkey shooting was i'm order
/ then and on no other day i'm the year. On that
day, If there was any snow on the ground,
| grand sleigh rides were i'm order. These rides
were not like many of ours in these degenerate
| times-a large sleigh holding 10 or IL couples
| starting OUTPUT each beau, providing his own
| single cutter, took his belle alone with him. 1
with too many sweets one is likely to be-
come distraught As a consequence of this
arrangement arr l weddings were expected to and
was eagerly watched. There may be moral
| in this.
! BY the laws of Massachusetts the bans of
matrimony must be published on at least two
public days before the marriage. Sunday
might be one or both OF these days Town
| another In our place the publication was
made by the town clerk posting it in a little
| box with glass front in the church. near the
| front door, After the church was somewhat
| modified and porches made to cover the en-
placed i'm the porch which was especially the
| women's entrance. was boy and the clerk
| an old man, SO never asked him why he did
| that
When the day of marriage was fixed upon
| invitations were sent out 1t was ordinarily
| expected that all i'm the parish who had been
| married during the year, and all who had
| given out that they would be married, were To
| be included i'm these invitations. This was not
| imperative unless the parties were well known,
| and the custom died out entirely before 1880.
1t was probably a remnant of a much older
| custom.
! touch upon one other fact, though hardly
coming within the range OF customs which will
show strong contrast between certain customs
and opinions then and now. 1 refer To the
| money then i'm circulation. This money con-
sisted entirely of the issue of local banks, and
| foreign silver coin, coin almost exclusively
Spanish, a United States coin being rarely seen.
These Spanish coins were the dollar, hall, quar-
| ter, eighth 0he Spanish real), and sixteenth,
| and the piStareen, passing at first for 20 cents
| but afterward being degraded to 16 cents, and
| the half-pistareen, likewise reduced from 10 to
| . cents. Nearly ali these coins were defaced by
| use, and the smaller ones especially were SO far
| worn and battered that their denomination
| could be guessed at only by the size No objec-
ton was ever made to the reception OF the coin,
| however worn or clipped, when once IL was set
| tied what the coin had once purported to be. Ii
| no sign of image or superscription was TO be
| seen the coin was tested by heat-laid upon a
red-hot shovel or other iron-when the legend
reappeared. The names of these coins were
| local, the 1212 cents being called i'm New Eng
| land ''ninepence,' in New York the shilling"
! and further south the ''levy." The governments
recognized these coins in fixing the rate OF post
age-6l, TO- 1Sr,, 20 and 25 cents, these rates
corresponding TO the value of the coin.
Ex.Vice President Hamlfn.
HOW HE KILLS TIME IN HIS OLD AGE.
From the Lewiston Journal
The best game OF high-low jack ever saw
| was played at Bangor last week in one Of the
| splendid parlors OF the Tarratine club. Hanni-
| bal Hamlin was the most conspicuous figure in
| the party of four old gentlemen who sat around