The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-01-25


its season, was looked forward to
with very agreeable anticipations by
the farmers sons and daughters.
Toll in that was more than figurative-
ly sweetened.
Thurlow Weed says: "When your
troughs were dug out of bass wood,
for there were no buckets in those
days, your trees tapped, your wood
cut, and your fires fed, there was
leisure either for reading or spark
ing Who will ever forget the trans
parent and delicious streaks of candy.
cooled in snow, while 'sugaring off,
Many a farmers son has found his
best opportunity for mental improve
ment 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 gath
cred and the wood cut before dark.
| remember in this way to have read
a history of the French revolution. |
remember also how happy l was to
borrow the book after two-mile
tramp through the snow, shoeless."
An old time New England express
sion, "getting the mitten," meaning
getting your offer of marriage reject
ed 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; nit
tens 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 get
ting cold, and took the opportunity
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
would not get the hand.
There were large families in those
days. Sir William Pnipps was one
of twenty-six children. Benjamin
Franklin was one of family of sew
enteen. They rejoiced in some very
singular names. These are the names
of one family: Experience, Waitstill,
Preserved, Hopestill, Wait, Thanks,
Unite, Desire and Supply.
1t is interesting to note that the
dinner hour has gradually moved
from the forenoon until evening.
The word dinner is believed to be a
corruption of six hours or 2 o'clock,
the hour at which the Norman con-
querors ate their principal meal. A
young man from the Maine woods
visited New York on a 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
eat theirs 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
| pervaded the very atmosphere of the
house suppressed the boisterous
spirits of youth, and early planted a
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 pillion, with the baby in
her lap, and the next older child ia
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 sacramen-
tai wine dangling from his saddle.
It must have been a pleasant sight
on Sunday 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 theeast and from the west, from
the north and the south; for Sabbath
morning adj paths led to church, as
| all roads led to Rome. In summer
time the boys and girls carried their
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 hour glass. The sermon
was expected to close with the last
sands of the glass. How the chill
dren, and perhaps the grown people,
watched the glass. Bat they we've
sometimes disappointed, for the old
ministers had great gifts of continu-
ance. Their wigs were fall of learn
ing, and as freely as they had received
freely they gave.
In 1886 each meeting house had
the appendage of stocks and whip
ming post, and in some places thew