The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-20

The Few Rccreetions and Amusements OF
the Children-what Is Meant to "Get
the nIitten"-The Reverence In Which
tho New England Sabbath Was Held.
Though Puritan children had but few
recreations and aTusemcnts, they must
have enjoyed n very cheerful, happy homo
life. Making sugar in it's season was
looked forward to with very agreeable an
ticipations by the farmers sons and daugh-
tiers. Toll in that was moro than figura.
lively 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
Tires fed, there was leisure either for read
ing or sparkling Who will ever forget
tho transparent and delicious streaks Of
candy, cooled in snow, while 'sugaring
OF. 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 tho
having boon gathered and the wood cut
before dark. 1 remember in this way to
have read history of the French revolu-
tion. remember also how happy l was
to borrow tho 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
hest 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
oil families. If young man going homo
from singing school with tho girl Of his
choice was holding her mittened hand, to
Keen If from OattinD cold md he
portunity to urge his suit, if the offor
proved acceptable, the hand would remain;
II otherwise, an effort to withdraw the
hand would leave tho mitten. So the suitor
would got tho mitten, but not the hand.
There wero largo families in those days
Sir William Phipps was one of 90 children,
Benjamin Franklin was one of q family of
II. They rojoioed in some very singular
names. These arc the names of ono FAM
lily: Experience, Waitstill, Preserved,
Hopestill, Wait, Thanks, Unitcs, Desire
and Supply.
1t is interesting to noto that the dinner
hour has gradually moved from tho fore
noon until evening. Tho word dinner is
beloved to be n corruption of six hours,
or y O'Clock, tho hour Mt which the Nor
man conquerors ate their principal meal
young man from tho Maine woods Wis
tied New York on schooner and wrote
homo thus: Hardly anybody here eats
dinner Mt noon. Most of the folks cat
theirs at O'Clock. Tho rich don't cat
theirs until 2 or half past, and the real
upper crust don't dine until some time
next day" He had evidently been
brought up to think 10 o'clock tho proper
hour.
Saturday night was the beginning of
the Sabbath. The quiet hush that per-
yaded the very atmosphere of tho house
suppressed the boisterous spirits of youth,
and early planted o reverent love for the
New England Sabbath. Everybody was
expected to go to meeting and stay through
both services. Some of the stanoh men
rode in the saddle, the good wife on o pill
lion, with the baby in her lap, and the
next older child in front or behind Every
first Sabbath of tho month tho deacon
could DO seon cantering up the long road
with tho conscorated jug for the saora-
montal wine dangling from his saddle. 1t
must have boon - pleasant sight on Sun
day morning to stand by the church and
watch the worshipers as singly, two by
two, OF In families they seemed to rise
out OF tho hills, from the east and from the
west, from the north and from tho south.
Tor Sabbath morning all paths led to
church, rs all roads led to Rome. In sum-
mer time the boys and girls carried their
shoes and stockings in their hands, to
save them from tho wear and tear of the
bushes and the long, sandy paths Among
tho duties of the sexton was to turn the
hourglass Tho sornson was expected to
close with tho last sands of tho glass.
How the children, and perhaps the grown
people, watched tho glass! But they were
sometimes disappointed, for tho old minis
tiers had great gifts of continuance. Their
wigs were full of learning, and rs freely
as they had received freely they gave
In 1888 each meeting house had the mp
pendage of stocks and whipping post, and
i'll some place they voted, "That all por-
sons who should stand out Of tho meeting
house during the time of divine service
should be set in tho stocks.''
1t was also ordered that profano swear
ing should be punished by sitting in the
stocks throe times; telling lies, fine of
10 shillings or sitting in the stocks two
times. In 1855 an unfortunate benedict
was fined for keeping house alone. A
man was fined for driving a yoke of oxen
five miles on the Sabbath day
AS long ago Us 1745 it is said there were
bad boys, and tithing men were appointed
to see that they did mot play in meeting"
and to keep tho dogs out of the meeting
house.
Mrs. Stowe gives q picture Of the old
meeting house, which is the best I have
found. ITO my childish eyes our meeting
house was fashioned on tho model of
Noah's ark and Solomon's temple. Its
double rows of windows, of which 1 knew
the number by heart; its doors, with great
wooden quirks over them; its belfry, pro-
Jecting out nt tho east end; it's steeplc and
bell, oil inspired rs much sense of the sub
lime as Strasburg cathedral itself. How
magnificent to my eyes seemed the turnip-