The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-02-27

the Mitten"-The Reverence In Which
the New England Sabbath Was Held.
Though Puritan children had but few
reCreations and amusements they must
have enjoyed a very cheerful, happy home
life. Making sugar in its season was
looked forward to with very agreeable an
tioipations by the farmers sons and daugh-
ters. Toll in that was more than hgura-
tivoly sweetened
Thurlow Weed says: "When your
troughs were dug out of basswood-for
there were no buckets in those days-your
trees tapped, your wood cut and your
fires fed, there was leisure either for read
ing or sparkling Who will ever forget
the transparent and delicious streaks of
candy, cooled in snow, while 'sugaring
off. Many farmers son has found his
best opportunity for mental improvement
in his leisure moments while tending sap
bush. At night you had only to feed the
kettles and keep up your fires, the sap
| having been gathered and the wood cut
before dark. l remember in this way to
have read q history of the French revolu
ton. / remember also how happy | was
to borrow the book after a two mile tramp
through the snow shoeless,
| An old time New England expression
"getting the mitten, meaning getting
your offer of marriage rejected by your
"best girl, " has an origin in the custom
/ of the earlier days. One hundred years
ago gloves were unknown in the country
towns; mittens were knitted and worn in
all families If young man going home
from singing school with the girl of his
choice was holding her mittened hand to
keep it from getting cold, and took the op-
portunity to urge his suit, if the offer
proved acceptable, the hand would remain;
if otherwise, an effort to withdraw the
hand would leave the milton. So the suitor
would get the mitten, but not the hand.
There were large families in those days
/ Sir William Phipps was one of 26 children,
/ Benjamin franklin was one of family of
! II. They rejoiced in some very singular
/ names. These are tho names of one fam
/ lily: Experience, Waitstill, Preserved
Hopestill, Wait, Thanks, Unites, Desire
and Supply.
1t is interesting to note that the dinner
hour has gradually moved from the fore
noon until evening. The word dinner is
believed to be a corruption of six hours,
or 2 o'clock the hour at which the Nor
man conquerors ate their principal meal.
A young man from the Miiine woods Wis
tied New York on schooner and wrote
home thus: Hardly anybody here eats
dinner at noon. Most of the folks eat
theirs at O'Clock. The rich don't eat
theirs until or half past and the real
upper crust don't dine until some time
next day. He had evidently been
brought up to think 12 o'clock the proper
hour.
Saturday night was the beginning of
the Sabbath. The quiet hush that per-
yaded the very atmosphere of the house
suppressed the boisterous spirits of youth,
and early planted q reverent love for the
New England Sabbath. Everybody was
expected to go to meeting and stay through
both services. Some of the stanch men
rode in the saddle, the good wife on a pill
lion, with the baby in her lap, and the
next older child in front or behind. Every
first Sabbath of the month the deacon
could be seen cantering up the long road
with tho consecrated jug for the sacra-
} mental wine dangling from his saddle. 1t
must have been pleasant sight on Sun
} day morning to stand by the church and
watch the worshipers as singly, two by
two, or in families, they seemed to rise
out of the hills, from the east and from the
west, from the north and from the south,
for Sabbath morning all paths led to
church, as all roads led to Rome. In sum-
shoes and stockings in their hands, to
save them from the wear and tear of the
bushes and the long sandy paths. Among
the duties of the sexton was to turn the
hourglass. The sermon was expected to
close with the last sands of the glass.
How the children, and perhaps the grown
people, watched the glass; But they were
sometimes disappointed for the old minis
ters had great gifts of continuance Their
wigs were full of learning, and as freely
as they had received freely they gave
In 1885 each meeting house had the ap'
pendage of stocks and whipping post, and
in some place they voted, "That all per
sons who should stand out of the meeting
house during the time of divine service
should be set in the stocks"
1t was also ordered that profane swear
ing should be punished by sitting in the
stocks three times; telling lies, IA frs o.
10 shillings or sitting in the stocks two
, times In 1856 an unfortunate benedict
was fined for keeping house alone. A
| man was fined for. driving yoke of oxer
five miles ON the Sabbath day.
, AS long ago as 1745 it is said there were
bad boys, and tithing mon were appointed
to see that they did mot play in meeting,
and to keep the dogs out of the meeting
> house.
Mrs. Stowe gives picture of the ole
meeting house, which is the best l have
found. "To my childish eyes our meeting
house was fashioned on the model o.
Noah's ark and Solomon's temple, It'
double rows of windows, of which knew
, the number by heart; its doors, with grea
wooden quirks over them; its belfry, pro
jeoting out at the east end; its steeple ant
l bell all inspired as much sense of the sub
lime as Strasburg cathedral itself. How
magnificent to my eyes seemed the turnip
like canopy that hung over the minister
: head, hooked by long iron rod to tn
. wall aboye How wondered at the pan
y els on either side of the pulpit carved ant
= painted as flaming red tulip. The are
~ of the house was divided into large, squar
pews finished with a balustrade ten inche
high. Through these loopholes the chill
dren could watch each other and repor
- discoveries. -