News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-11-19
The oIden Times.
sEvESrr-rrvr or EIGHTY YEARS AGO.


EAST CAMBRIDGE. Vt. Nov. 10. 1891.
! will now write little more OF the olden
times. In my second letter I meant 10 Hnv
'they had to seal their letters with waters aud
sealin' wax. instead Of wrappers and sealin'
wax" and that mems frocks we're wove srnr-
sey' instead of coarsely. They didn't hev 80
much frosted cake. cookies, ice cream. ginger
snaps and don't know what else M now. but
they bad ryeand iniun bread or brown bread
as il Is called now; they had large breud-trnys
two or three feet long aud foot and "a half
wide and as much as foot, or more dep
that was kept on purpose 20 make the bread
in; would put the meal in and ther rye meal to
mix with warm water, hop emtins, or yeast,
mix and knead Il a good deal and let IL rise,
then make IL ntoloaves and bakein the great
brick oven, let II stand in IL an night. aud oh.
such bread Can't mnkesuch bread now with
sour milk and soda as they made then. They
made bean porrige. too. in them days aud II
was delisious to eat with the bread in the
small pewter basins they had in them DAYS.
They couldn't bake the potatoes then for
they hadn't any stove-ovens, but they would
rake open the embers TO the big Fireplace on
the hearth Tor the fire-places had hearths. put
in the potatoes and cover them up with the
hot ashes and emLers putting coles on top
TO roast them, and when they we're done take
them out. wing and wipe them of clean and
they would be very mealy and nice. ! guess
some Of your old grand parents can rnmom-
No. they didn't hev so many luxuries as
they hev now, and yet they took comfort.
lots o. comfort. for there wasn't so much diff
ference in society as there il now. there was
more Of an equality. When the time come ia
the fall for hutchering they would calculate
on maxim up lot o. sassages and every
farmers wife would hev a long pole. put up In
a cool place, filed with links o. sa~sagos. but
they think they hev better way now omnke
the sassage meat into eakes or balls, and
don't doubt but It's. When the men folks
went into the woods to chop they could take
for their dinner some brown bread and a link
or two Of cooked sassage. and they enjoyed
IL, too. Why they didn't hev any soda or
salaratus nor bakin' powder IN them days
but had 10 use potash instead and sometimes
ifthey got out, would burn cobs 90 get the
white ashes to use a. potash. / suppose some
of the young folks will say they don't $50 huw
they lived Wall they did live and e.iovet
themselves, but thcy didn't hev -o munE
clubs and societies a. they DO now 30 the uuy-
and gals didn't hev 90 go -u often u- uuws
and they couldn't for they had 90 WORK. thr
gals had 20 knit thciro aud the huyr stnrks
IN =, spin the yarn. double ON tho swiit~ atlFgf
then twist DO. their mothers would color it
some fancy color; didn't buy their stockin 4
then for there was none TO buy, and all The
gals knew how to knit. Don't think many
know how now. Why, some Of the gals would
knit a stocking day. They didn't hey ~
many fine shirts az they do now. either, for
the men and boys had what they called shirt
les or dirkies. made with a front bosom and
and "A strap TO fasten 20 the back or under
the arm, and a collar. They were nice, could
do them up easy, and they wore them over
the every day shirts. though some had fine
shirts, but they mostly wore these. ] pre-
sume your grandmothers can tell you more
about how they were made then. for ] spore
some Of the boys and gals have great grand
mothers, for I've got great-graud-children.
The gals had 70 helD their mothers Whitten
4 "a
for sheets. shirts, pillow cases, towels and
table clothes, and they were very fine and
nice.
Why the women spun their thread out Of
fax very fine some Of IT, would whitten some
and some was colored. They spun the shoe
thread, too. What thread they bought, and
that was little, was In skens. The farmers
wives too, made their own shawls. wollen
ones: made their own bunnits, too, aud hoods
didn't look much like what they hev now, bus
they were stilish. | guess they'll hev 20 go
back onto the old stiles. They wore leghorn
hats with o wide brim; the hats and bunnits
were braided out Of a kind Of grnEs that was
gathered, cured and whitened, mostly brnided
by the children. | hev braided a great many
yards of IL; would get the milner 10 sew them,
and they would last a long time. Didn't hev
to get a new hat or bunnit every twoo three
months as now. Before they had cardin' ma
chimes all the cardin' was done by the little
hand cards. at home, all the wool and tow
and the fax was wound on a distah TO be
spun on a little wheel and when they were
maxim the cardn machines the boys and
gals were hired 10 work on the cards for the
climbers TO the machine. They set the small
bent steel wire teeth on strips Of ether, two
and a half or three feet long with little holes
pricked in for the teeth all ready 90 work ON:
the teeth or wire was fixed all ready TO put
in, the boys and gals from seven 10 twelve
years old could do this work. They spun
! a.
and coarse blankets checked blue and white,
and red and white, large checks, they were
warm. too, and some Of them handsome.
| They didn't hev cotten-batten to put IN bed
quilts as now, but would card the coarse wool
! into bats and used Il as they do batten nov.
| IL was work to do IL and the gals when they
was fifteen years old would spin their days
work, which was thirty note Of warp and
| forty nots Of film, forty threads In not.
| They didn't hev 80 many sociables as they
| hev now, but they would get together In the
| evenin' and sing some Of the old tunes for
they didn't hev organs and planners as they
| do now. and when to meetin' all could sing
| that had any voice 20 sing and there was
music in them old tunes would make the
| house ring with Coronation, North Salem,
| 'Bridgewater,' Antique, aud many Others;
/ aud when they learned 10 sing by note IL WIS
| IA, sol. la instead Of do, ra, me.
The boys and gals was brot up then Go be
/ mannerly. too, and respectful 20 old people.
didn't call their fathers ''old man" and moth
ers "old woman" as DO some Of them now.
but not many I'm glad to say. Didn't call
| Married folks by their given names either,
hut Mr.. and Mrs; and instead Of yes aud NO,
IL was yes sir and no sir. yes ma 'nm and ma
ma'am; but times hev changed Now my
grandchildren and greut-grundchildren want
| ed me to write as hev, what they used TO do
when | was gal 10 upd so years so he,
| and il the boys and gals who read thcse let
| tors "a Mt .p haN ntr IL Nfai
another generation II they wish. but | wunl
you TO remember that Aunt Susie, who wrot,
them, is almost Sc years old and n grcnt lov
er Of good boys and gals and wants them q
be good, virtuous and respectful 20 al. young
| or old and above all else Co love the Lord ant
| garvp him thau thav vVtlI nIvvav. l.. hmm,