Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-03-19
OLD NEW ENGLAND.


Many Of the people cling to old GUS
toms, cherish the old homes. and try -
preserve as long as possible the few
houses and other land marks of the first
settlers of the country.
How faithfully the people of Boston
worked IN order to save the old tree on
the Common every one knows, and when
at last II fell, the place where it stood
was set apart, and an iron fence secures
it from the public, and preserves it for
future generations There are houses
all through New England which have
stood for many years, and are still C.
cupied by the grandchildren of tie
builders. The people who leave their
Eastern homes and come back after
many years, bringing children to the
old place take no greater pleasure than
IN showing church, school, or home
dear TO them IN the days of early child
hood.
Among the homes which have stood
the wear and tear of years, vet still
stand, Is Jonathan Fairbanks House in
Dedham, Mass. This Is said to be the
! oldest house in New England, although
| there Is one at Medfield which may
have been built about the same time.
Dedham was settled in 1885. The cele-
brated John Rogers of Dedham IN Eng
land had been forbidden to speak in
England, and many of his followers
emigrated, and numbers settled in this
place. For that reason it is supposed
| that the town was so named, but the
original plan was to call the place
| ''COntentment.'
1t is almost impossible for us to real
iZe how far we have advanced since
these villages in New England were
first founded until we examine into the
curious records of those times Not
only in manners and customs, but in
| the strange wording of their every day
| speech, and the curious and strict laws
| by which they were governed, they
| seem a different people from those of
| to-day. There WIS no strife for place
or position, but warm friendship and
! liberal hospitality. The newspapers
which sprung up one after another tsn
/ the story. and the curious tombsto1ies
| where ii was the custom to record 20
much Of the daily life Of the one buried
| beneath, bear witness of the curions
opinions Of the people.
| The houses which they built were in
! most cases Of frame, with heavy beams
| supporting the rafters. and with long
sloping roof for the main structure,
/ and curious additions called In some
/
| porch, and the wonderful corners and
interesting "garrets, where all curious
| and ancient things were stored, became
treasure houses for the next generation.
| The rules which governed the observ-
ance Of Sunday, the division of lands.
and the payment of taxes, were strITg-
ent, and by due observance of them
the settler was held in respect, but ifor
"A violation, a punishment awaited the
| offender which was severe and certain.
The home life was simple in the ok
treme and shared by men and women
alike, for while the men plOughed AMI
worked N the field, the women sf--sa or
| wvsu the cloth Tor garmeHts-
In religion they were extremely ex-
acting. and some Of the creeds of those
DAYS seem to us almost past belief Yet
! good people hvedup TO them as far as
they could, and often denied them
| selves the comforts of life in fear that
| by enjoying what surrounded them
they might be indulging ''the flesh"
too much.
1t was the custom in many New Eng
| land towns to ring the curfew or fire
| covering) bell, at nine o'clock IN the
evening. and by that time all young
men and maidens were supposed to be
at home. In a few of the towns this
custom Is still adhered to, and also he
strange fashion of tolling a ''pass ng
! belr' when a death occurs in the vii
lage, the number of strokes denotng
the age of the person who ''passss"
from earth.
In the larger New England villages
each family was required to keep at
hand several fire buckets, and in case
of an alarm, were required to set them
quickly outside the door or gate, that
passing firemen might gather them on
their way to the fire
! The writer well remembers a tale
told by her grandmother of an occasion
in 1914 when she was dressing for a
party, and had donned one satin slip
per, when the bell began to ring. Hast
lily seizing a fire bucket in each hand
she ran 10 the gate, and was hurrie1ly
pl icing them, when a man rushing by
the house said:
at is not.fre woman, the bells are
ringing for peace; the war of 1Sl2 is
over"
The ancient tombstones tell strange
story of the time. In looking over old
books and papers there are many most
quaint and curious specimens. The
virtues of the dead and the cIrcum-
stances to their lives are often given,
such sanity beings lived in this wicked
world There Is a curious specimen OF
this kind which reads:
Near Gloucester, Elizabeth Wagner
aged 1O7.
She never took medicine of any nd in
her life.
IN Foxborough there is a very sing
ular monument st nding in a grave
ward in the centre of the town. In
order to read the inscription 1t is nee
essary TO raise the cover of a sort OF
vase which is placed upon a pillar OF
granite. The cover Is of granite and Is
kept in its place by hooks, the date
1910 Is cut upon 1t, and these lines:
To tho-e. who view before you're gone,
Be pleased TO put this cover on"
On the inside of the cover on a piece
OF sheet-iron, the following is in gilt
letters:
. The grave Is waiting for your body,
And Christ j. waiting for your soul;
| o NAV this lie your cheerful study.
To be prepared when death doth CALL
IN Watertown there Is another curl
/. ous epItaph from an old burying ground,
east of the village, on the Cambridge
road:
Pious Lydia, made and given by God
/, As most meet help unto John Bailey
Minister of the Gospel
Good betimes-Best at last
Liv d by faith-Died In Grace
Went off singing-left US weeping
: Walked with God till translated IN the
39th year of her age April 16th-169l.
IF you want to be miserable, think
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