Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-09-16
Detroit Free Press.

Detroit Free Press
II Is humiliating fact, that after a
newspaper has had its day. which is
unusually rather less than twenty-four
hours IN length-it is relegated forthwith
to the limbo of last year 9 almanacs and
birds nests, and if it escapes the rag
picker il is only to fall into the hands of
the antiquarian after season who will
read-not the able editorials or the
bright and spicy" departments, but
the advertisements.
They were the only part of the news
paper of century and a half ago and
that gave indication of what was 90
ing on in the every day life of the PEG
pie.
Recognizing this fact, an eastern pub
fishing house is putting forth an "Olden
Time Series" of little books, the same be-
ing "gleanings chiefly from old news
papers of Boston and Salem in Massa-
chusetts." Many quaint and curious
things are in this way brought to light,
as for instance, the prevalence of lotter-
les in New England, and the favor in
which they were held by respectable peo-
pie. The Faneuil hall lottery, the Har-
ward college lottery, the Rhode Island
college, now Brown university, lottery,
the Dartmouth college lottery, and lot
teries for Episcopal and Congregational
churches, were all advertised. There
was Washington monument battery
advertised in 1911, and lottery was pro
posed for the purpose of finishing Bunk
or Hill monument, although the scheme
was not carried out. The venerable
Edward Ii. Payson of Salem, now for
sixty years cashier of one of the leading
banks there, sold tickets in former DAYS.
and it was thought just as respectable to
sell lottery tickets rs to sell bibles; in
fact the two articles of merchandise were
sometimes cassed together in the same
advertisement Thomas Cushing, Samuel
Hewes, John Scollay latter whom "Scol-
lay square" was named, Benjamin Aus
tin, Samuel Sewell, Samuel Phillips, Saw
age and Ezekiel Lewis, were as respect
able names as could be found in Boston,
and they were the managers appointed
to conduct the lottery for rebuilding
Faneuil hall after its destruction by fire
in 1761.
Ministers of We gospel certainly did
not offer much opposition to lotteries
even if they did not openly approve them.
The managers of the Leicester academy
lottery appealed to ''the reverend clergy
and all persons who had a taste for en-
couraging said seminary of learning" to
aid them in their enterprise.
In 1890 prize of 81 800 in the state
lottery was drawn by upward of dozen
poor widows belonging to Marblehead,"
and thereupon some local poet wrote
score or more of pious Zines" which
were printed in the Columbian Sentinel
Tn, 1908 tbora gor
tunate lottery office" at No. 1 Summer
street, Boston, and as an additional in
ducement to purchase tickets the adver-
tisement says;
Prize tickets and Detroit bank bills
taken in payment
The days of the spinning wheel in New
England extend from the first settlement
of the country down to the time within
the memory of men now living, and
spinning bees" held their own as well as
quilting bees The Columbian Cent?
mel, of June Z, 1891, announces the salts
factory result of a spinning bee at the
house of Rev. Dana, of Ipswich, where
ga numerous band of ladies in harmoni-
Gus concert have again laid their hands
to the spindle and held the distaff,' and
presented the fruit of their generous toll,
11S run of good yarn, viz: SO linen, 30
cotton, the materials, provisions, and
handsome attendance, all furnished by
themselves
'The Salem Mercury of April %, 1887,
records a similar donation party at the
parsonage in Newburyport when ''the
fair laborers presented Mrs Murray with
cotton and linen yarn of the best quality,
amounting to 236 skeins."
The habit of snuff taking was very
common in New England in those days
with both sexes, and nearly every gentle
man carried a snuff box in the pocket,
which, if he could afford it, was either
of gold or silver. Maccaboy, rappee and
Scotch snuff were among tho articles
most frequently advertised in the news
papers.
There was great strictness as every
body knows, about the Sabbath obser
vances in New England, and the little
book which now appears is by no means
the first bit entertainment that the pur-
itan law has furnished to the present
generation. The Sentinel for December,
17S9 gives this account of Washington's
adventure with the tithingman:
"The president, on his return to New
York from his late tour through Connecti-
cut, was obliged to ride few miles on
Sunday morning in order TO gain the
town at which he had previously propos-
ed 20 have attended divine service. Be
fore he arrived, however, he WIS met by
a tithingman, who commanded him to
stop, demanded the occasion of his rid
ing, and it was not until the president
had informed him of every circumstance
and promised to go no further than the
town intended that the tithingman would
permit him to proceed on with his jour
ney."
The following notice appeared in a
Salem paper of 1875;
U"Whereas, the sober and thoughtful
people of this town are much displeased
by the great Noise.and Disturbance made !
in the Streets on Saturday and Sabbath |
Day Evening: 1t is earnestly desired
that all Heads of families would keep |
their Children and Servants at Home on
those evenings, and thereby greatly con
tribute to the Quiet of the Town and |
Peace of the Inhabitants
Not to be a meeting goer in those /
DAYS was to range ones self with thieves /