The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-04-09
For the Telegraph.
WHAT OLD PEOPLE EAI.K
ROITT.
Continued from last soeek.)

\COIettbtsCU yfOHS GtSe CUccRsf
Some of the prevailing customs at
the early period Of which We have
been speaking would excite surprise
now for their novelty. It is well re
membered that when young people OF
both sexes assembled at any given
point for recreation and amusement
it was the practice of the young men
to bring the young women on horse
back; the young man sitting in the
saddle and the young woman sitting
sideways behind, clinging to his per-
son to preserve her balance. TITS was
regarded a genteel way of escorting
young women to parties of pleasure,
especially il the horse or which the
two rode was stately animal. This
custom of two persons riding on one
horse was also quite common in go
| ing to church, where persons resided
at an inconvenient distance from the
place of worship or when the roads
were too muddy for going on foot.
Husband and wife, father and daugh-
ter were frequently seen making short
journeys in this way. The modern
style Of carriages with elliptic springs
was then unknown. III a wagon or
carriage was fitted with spring seats,
they were constructed of wood.
Many remember when not suit of
broaocloih was worn by any citizen
in country town. nor was suit OF
such material scarcely ever seen i'll
the villages. The clothing of every
day and Sunday wear was made from
cloth, the wool of which was grown
on the farm, spun, woven and dyed
at home. The prevailing color for
wooden clothing was dusky brown,
which was obtained by immersing the
cloth in a dye made from the bark of
the butternut tree. The wool was
first taken to carding machine, where
it was converted into rolls, then spun
by hand by the wife and daughters
of the family; then taken to the
weaver. There were usually two or
three weavers who operated hand
looms in every neighborhood. The
cloth being woven, it was taken to
the fulling mill, so called, where it un.
derwent the process of being fulled
to proper thickness and dyed to what
ever color the owner preferred. The
finish was given the cloth by plac.
ing it between sheets of cardboard
and subjecting it to a heavy press by
strong screw press; this gave it a
smooth surface; also gave it the
finishing and readiness for the tailor
to cut into garments. 1t was no nn-
common thing for judges and MEM
bers of the legislature to appear in
their official places clothed in suit
of homemade cloth. Clad in a
suit of home-manufactured apparel,
the young men led their chosen brides
to the hymeneal altar.
The rosy checked girls, too. of that
period dressed in garments of domes.
tic manufacture, the cloth often being
woven into plaids Of various pleasing
colors, so that dress made from it
had an attractive appearance. Sum-
mer wear was largely made from home
production, every farmer taking care
to rsisea supply of fax, from the fiter
of which was spun and woven by the
mother and daughters the lighter cloths
for family use. The fax spinning
wheel had a place in every family,
and the young woman incapable of
operating it was presumed to be an
invalid or Predetermined. That mod
ern family necessity, the servant girl.
had not yet been born. There were
in all well provided families the big
wheel" and the "little Wheel" the
former for wool spinning and the lat
ter for spinning flax. In some fami-
lies there were dresses of considerable
cost. The mothers silk dress, perhaps
her wedding garment, was by careful
usage not .unfrequently made to serve
in turn the daughter, and possibly the
granddaughter, undergoing occasional
notifications at the hands of the dress
maker. Many of our old people recol-
lect when nearly one-half of the farms
in different towns had on them a log
dwelling, if not occupied. had been by
q family.
The amusements of the young peO-
pie were various. but dancing headed
the list, as it always has done in all
countries, civ lized and uncivilized.
Among the many one or two only will
be mentioned, In the spring season
of the year there was always great
deal of spinning oe fax to be done; to
facilitate this work, it was usua, to
have spinning bees" The method of
conducting spinning bee was for the
family having one to apportion a
moderate quantity of fax among all
the young women of the town residing
at a reasonable distance. At a given
time all who had received fax return
ed it spun to the distributing family.
This was made the occasion of a fur
nished supper, at which the young men
always came. After supper the in.
evitable fiddler put in his appearance,
the floor was cleared and the amuse-
ment of the evening began in earnest.
OH TINE.
CAPITAL AN0 LABOR.
We invite the attention of the read.