Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-05-06
NEW-CENTURY CLUB.

Monday evening week the club held
its last reception of the season. Mr..
Henry G. Conrad kindly entertained its
members and their guests, his fellow
members OF the Delaware Historical
Society, with an interesting paper on
1.-The Three Signers' from Delaware.
There is growing tendency to look
back into our past and with the greater
knowledge thus gained comes added
respect for the men who saw more
clearly than their fellows and who
builded SO wisely what we who came
after them, enjoy. Mr.. Conrad said:
"We have somehow drifted into the
ideu that at the time of the Revolution
the whole people rose en- masse in favor
of severing the relations between these
colonies and the mother country. As
a fact, the people were very evenly
divided. There was a large number in
every one of the colonies who we're
honestly of opinion that the time had
not come when the colonies we're strong
enough to form and maintain govern
ment OF their own, that it was not ex-
pedient for them to break the ties
which joined them to their mother
country. Tho men who stood in the
fore front OF the movement for indie
pendence. who we're fighting in the
field, and at the same time represent.
ing the colonies in their assemblies
were continually harassed by this
firing from the rear, SO to speak. This
was particularly the case as regards
Cesar Rodney. By reading his letters
you learn that be was one day with the
army, and the next back in Dover
trying to prevent the people from VEN
turing what was being done in the field
and by Congress. He was at the same
time member OF the Continental Con-
gress at Philadelphia, Speaker of the
Assembly of Delaware. and a brigadier-
general in the Continental Army--in
the field and hack again to the State !;
evidently q man who was conferred
with as to all lines of conduct at the
| time, both IL civil and military service,
| yet for 20 years that he thus served
| his country, he was aware that be was
under death sentence from an incurable
dlaeuse that caused him much suffer.
ing, and finally death in his Seth year.
By his will he manumitted all his
slaves. IL his diary John Adams thus
describes him: Caesar Rodney is the
oldest looking man in the world: he ia
| tall, thin and slender as a reed, and
pale. His face is not bigger than a
large apple, yet there is sense, fire,
| spirit, wit and humur in his Gounten-
ance. His brother Thomas, describ-
ing him, says: He was about feet
10 inches high; his person very elegant
and genteel; his manners graceful, easy
and polite. He had a good fund of
humor, and the happiest talent in the
world of making his wit agreeable,
however sparkling and severe. He was
a great statesman, faithful public
officer, Just in all his dealings, easy to
his family and debtors. Kind to his
servants and always lived in generous
and social STYLE" He was raised aH a
farmer, had rather meager education.
and had but little advantage OF books
or of learning. His brother Thomas
describes the customs of our people at
that time. The population of the State
in l775 was b, 900 tabout half that OF
our city to-day He says: "The
manners and customs of the white
people. when / first remember, we're
very simple, plain and social. Few
foreign articles were used in this part
of the country for eating, drinking oil
clothing. Almost every family manu-.
featured it's own clothing. Beef, pork,
poultry. milk, butter, cheese, wheat
and Indian corn were raised, and served
with fruits and wild game for fuod
and cider, small beer, and peach and
apple brandy for drink. The best
families in the country seldom usec
tea, coffee, chocolate or sugar. Honey
was their sweetening. Tho largest
farmers at that time did not sow ovei
20 acres of wheat. or 30 of Indian corn
All the families in the country had {
great deal of idle time. for the land
being fertile. supplied them plentiful,
by little labor. Indeed, they seemed
to live, as it were, in concord; the,
constantly associated together at ont
house or another in considerable mum
bers, to play and frolic. at which time
the young people would frolic and thu
elder ones whistle, run, hop, jump Of
! throw the disc, or play at some rusti
and manly exercise. On Christmas ey,
there was universal firing Of gun
; and travelling round from house t,
house during the holiday and ipdeet