Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-02-07
IN PURITAN TIMES.
VORD PICTURES OF THE QUAINT
LIFE OF THOSE OLOEN DAYS.

the New England Sabbath Was Held.
Though Puritan children had but few
recreatuns and aI1usements, they must
have enjoyed very cheerful. happy home
life. Making sugar in its season was
looked forward to with very agreeable an
ticipations by the farmers sons and daugh-
tiers. Toll in that was more than figura-
lively swcetencd.
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 strcaks of
candy, cooled in snow, while 'sugaring
off Many farmers son has found his
best opportunity for mental improvement
in his leisure moments whilo 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. | remember in his way to
have read u history Of the French rcvulu-
ton. | remember also how happy ! was
TO borrow the book aftcra two mile tramp
through the snow shuclcss"
An old time New England expression,
getting the mittcn," meaning getting
chest girl, " has an orr gin in the custom
of the earlier days. One hundred years
ago gloves were unknown in the country
towns; mttens 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 OPP
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 mitten. so the sutton
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
H. They rejoiccd in some very singular
names. These are the names of one fam
lily: Experience, Waitstill, Preserved
Hopestil, Wait, Thanks, Unites, Desire
and Supply.
1t is interesting to motto that the dinner
hour has gradually moved from the fore
noon until evening. The word dinner is
believed to he Il corruption of six hours,
or o'clock, the hour at which the Nor
man conquerOrs ate their principal meal.
A young man from the Maine 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 6 O'Clock The rich don't eat
theirs until Z or half past, and the real
upper crust don't dine until some time
next day" He had evidently been
brought up to think IL O'Clock the proper
hour.
Saturday night was the beginning of
the Sabbath. The quiet hush that per-
vaded the very atmosphere of the house
c11np ho hoi CT rit II
and early planted % 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 the 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
mer time the boys and girls carried their
shoes and stockings in their hands, 10
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
tiers had great gifts of continuance. Their
] 1
rs 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 he set in the stocks
1t was also ordered that profane swear
ing should be punished by sitting in the
stocks three times; telling lies, a 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 yoke of oxen
| five miles on the Sabbath day.
AS long ago as 1745 it is said there were
bad boys, and tithing men We're appointed
to see that they did mot play in meeting, 4"
and to keep the dogs out of the meeting
house.
Mrs. Stowe gives picture OF the old
meeting house, which is the best l have
found. ITO my childish eyes our meeting
house was fashioned on the model of
Noah's ark ard Solomons temple. Its
double rows of windows, of which | knew
the number by heart; its doors, with great
wooden quirks over them; its belfry, pro
jecting out At the east end; its steeple and
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 Il long iron rod to the
wall above! How l wondered at the pan
els on either side of the pulpit, carved and
painted as flaming red tulip. The area
of the house was divided into large, square
pews, finished with IA balustrade ten inches
high. Through these loopholes the chill
dren could watch each other and report
discoveries
Tho t,,nptfnc, boncaa xVara ppt