The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1893-01-20
miscellaneous.
Good Old Times in Early Maryland.


Maryland ChurchmHn.
In 40, the Wdryi0nd Guzctte saw
! light. 1t was about / inches square
| it contained English news six months
old. and Boston news aged about
three Copies still exist, and are a
history of the good old times of which
we speak.
In 1147, this paper advertised for
sale quite a number of rebels" then
recently taken in war. These were
Scotch who had failed to seat Charles
| the Pretender on the English throne
two years before.
Of course, men and women. whites
We're frequently sold to pay their pas
sage over but only for Il term of wears.
Irish and Scotch, Acadians and Pala-
! tines. We're among the imported goods
offered for such sale
Servants had, surely in those days,
| a. picturesque appearance; blue
jackets, brown coats, white flannel
vests, white wigs, red pea jacket, and
so on, being mentioned among their
accoutrements.
But Il lady's-dearie me, what Joy
it must have been to her-black silk
petticoat, with a red and white Dor
der. cherry -cOlored stays, tricked off
with silver and blue, red gown shaded
with dove color, and embroidered all
over with very small flowers and very
large trees; satin apron, yellow
think of it, Il white muslin head dress,
lace rutfies, and Il sombre black
silk scarf, Il spotted silk capucnin
Thus arrayed, she was in the very
pink Of perfection" and, | suppose
the very geranium of fashion. But
they were the good old times.
Annapolis was the centre Balti-
more had hardly yet put in much of
an appearance. The former was call
ed the centre of the globe; for while
all the rest of the world moved, this
quaint old town remained ever sta
tionary The joke was hardly relish
ed by the Annapolitans. and. indeed.
hardly deserved But the good old
times would have their little joke
even if it was at somebody's expense
In 1745 the Tuesday Club voted
against cheese, adopted II badge, APP
pointed II Proto- Mus,cus. and adopted
the celebrated GeluStic Ruie BY the
terms of this rule, if any speech offend
ed any member he might laugh loudly
and continuously enough to put the
speaker to silence and keep him there
Not long thereafter a: speech did Of
fend. and after due course of some
half hours vociferous laughing from
the entire club, valiantly persisted in,
he was brought to order amid dead
silence, and taught better manners for
the future.
On the anniversaries of the MARTYR
dom CT Charles the first, ''of blessed
memory this club affixed black wax
seals TO its proceedings At times
voluminous Latin indictments were
preferred against members, and they
were tried i'll due form of law, around
the fumes of rum and long-leaf tobac-
co away into the wee sma' hours
These were the good old times
A gentleman was everywhere
known by his dainty hands and cum
bersome dress OF course, the sword
went with the gentleman chairs were
carved, tables queer and quaint, the
lady went about in her sedan, the car
riages had outriders all got no III style,
the pipe was lor% handled and eIe-
CANT. punch was the fashion rivalled
only by Madeira, the race was the
regular thing and cards Il daily affair
These were the good old times too
good to let get Old, yet III time they
passed away and gave place-well, to
what we all do now see and hear and
know Of
| believe Annapolis had the first
paper. the earliest rlce-cOur>r. theatre
and watch maker, and even the Brit
ish regarded it as the place to bide in,
and to come away from with tears of
regret. The clergy wrote Latin as
fuently as English legal lore abound
ed side by side with classic, and the
good old times were very good indeed
TO the good old folks that lived in
them.
And the hair of the danes and bellies.
a word of it, if | may approach So high
Il subject. 1t was Il work of art and u
tower of elegance. Done up over i'm
mense terraces called pillows, some
times by French gentlemen passion
ately devoted to the art, and getting,
at times, 800 crowns a year for attend
ing to II single crown; it was a mys-
terry, thing of beauty, and, some
times, joy forever. The average
minister got an hundred pounds Il
hair dresser sometimes as high as
three hundred. The head first the
soul after. Well, the good old times
and the bad new times are not so very
different and the French cook to-day
gets the ultra ministerial salary, as
the dresser used to.
The good old times in this colony
appeared to abiure the house made of
wood brick, imported, was the fash
ion, and Queen Anne the style. OF
course there was huge ballroom
somewhere in the house, and beaux
and bellies had all the grace and man
ner of the best society of Europe. In
fine, Maryland was little Europe, a
touch of France, a trifie of Italy. some
Holland and much England. The
good old times were Tory both in
Church and State. The Clergy were
all high livers, if not high chui chmen,
and fond, it is said-as why and would
they not be-of canvaSback ducks and
the celebrated terrapin. Certainly, if
accounts be true, the good old times
included some famously good oil Ii eat
ing and the portraits of many of the
good-old-timers look as if they did not
diSdain it.
On one occasion Maryland lady
saw fit to whip one OF the ministers
of the place with a stout switch in
these good old times she was severely
fined tor this in the sum of one penny
lawful currency, whereby she was
doubtless restrained from like conduct