The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-23
THE PIONEERS Of America.
THEIR TOOLS AND UTENSILS NOW
THINGS OF THE PAST.
PHILADELPHIA Ledger.

Philadelphia Ledger.
An extremely interesting lecture was
given at the Franklin institute last even
ing BY II. c. Mercer, Of Doylestown. on
The Tools Of the American Pioneer. IL
was Illustrated with lantern slides. show
ing in detail about a thousand specimens
which have heen collected and are now On
exhibition at the courthouse IN Doyies-
town by the Historical society OF that
place The lecturer has been largely in
strumentaI in making the collection. and
was fortunate in finding still living old
people who had personally used tools like
those exhibited. Photographs showing
these old men using the tools as IN times
gone by were thrown upon the screen.
and gave a clearer idea of the life of the
early settlers of this country than any
word painting could have done.
Dir. Mercer who is an archaeologist.
traced the origin OF many OF these tools
TO the nation from which they were
brought, ami pointed out those which
were distinctively American. A large ma
jority of them had remained unchanged.
from the days of the Romans down to
about 1870 or 1880, when, from some cause.
not clearly ascertained the rapid develop
ment OF domestic implements commenced.
and has continued with unparalleled rap
idity until now. To those of the audi
ence who had seen and even used the inn
plements shown. it seemed almost incred-
ible that so few specimens yet remain IN
the country, so completely have many OF
them disappeared.
Two OF the old wooden mould board
plows are In the collection. and the OBJ
jections raised by the farmers that the
new iron plows poisoned the land seem
ridiculous enough today. The collection
go til Kfr,ift Ia
grass hooks now in use; scythes. grain
cradles. which succeeded the sickles and
We're in turn driven out by the reaping
machine: hewing axes for squaring tim
Der. frows for splitting shingles. and axes
OF various patterns. The hatchet, Mr..
Mercer said. was purely American In
vention. At first small axe, then Its poll
was made into a hammer, and slit was
cut on the fiat side for drawing nails. 1t
took the place Of an axe. hammer and
claw. the three tools being still exclusive
ly used in many European countries.
Coming TO culinary apparatus. Mr.. Mer
Ger showed the old fireplace, with Its
trammels and pothooks for hanging the
pots over the wood fire on the hearth; the
long-legged skillets. which stood over the
fire; the crane from which the pots were
hung, and which could swing off the fire
when desired: the old tongs. the Dutch
oven. surrounded by hot embers for bak-
ing bread. Then another photograph
showed the good housewife making apple
butter out under tree, where her two
big iron Kettles were hung from a crotch
and cross piece. and partially surrounded
by stone barrier against the wind.
1t is within the memory of many when
nearly all the everyday clothing of the
farming community was made on the
farm. the linen being produced from fax
grown in the fields and the wooden
sheared fro n the backs of the sheep. Ev-
cry good farmer had the implements for
dressing the flax, and the females of the
household were skilled In the art of spin
ming the flax and the wool and weaving
1t into cloth, plain, In stripes or plaids.
colored with their own hands and made
by them into sericeable garments. These
implements were shown in great variety;
the flax break for breaking up the outer
busk or the plant. the swingle for beat
Ing II off the fiber, tho Mitchell for comb
ing 1t into shape. the fax wheel for spin
ming. the quill wheel for winding it, and
the hand looms for weaving. Shoeniak-
ing was done by neishborhood shoemak-
ers. who went from house TO house and
stayed at each long enough 10 "sew up the
family" They were called "catwhip-
pers," and We're treated with great con-
sideration by their hosts. The wooden
lasts were shown on the screen. each
member Of the family having his own last,
straight one lthere were no rights and
leftsl.
And then there was the family lantern
made of tin and looking like tail oil can
OF the present day. II was punched fun
OF small holes. close together. usually in
patterns. Inside a short piece of candle
made light something less than a Phil
adelphia gaslight and something greater
than lightning bug and by the aid Of
this the farmer fed his stock and MIXED
COWS early in the morning and night in
the winter. or went into his corn house
cellar To get his hard cider The candle
moulds In which he utilized his talow I'm
an improved method of making candles
better than the tallow dips which he used
TO make by lifting the cotton wicks in
and ont OF the melted talow on a cold
day were illustrated by an odd set shown
on the table of specimens. And then the
chhdfesticks were shown in great variety.
all with hook at the top by which Won
could hang them on the back of a chair
II is difficult for this genera tion tn under
stand how orr grandfathers got along
without matches. but a finder box in the
nSnds az Mr.. Mercer made il very plain.
A snail square tin box with false ia I'm
when was some finder tscraped rags or
the pith or rotten wood, punk. a piece Of
steel and flint made M the e1uinment
struck downward blow by the flint and
thu oright spot fell on the punk which
was then coaXci into a flame and the can
Ole was lighted from It. When out If dry
Under the people borrowed fire from the
h'arth OF neichbor q mile away. hrinr-
ihS the hickory Goals home covered ny
ashes
M. MerHer had on exhibition a larya
number Of lamrs. running hack IL, \ So
T1t> frcm Ire earliest kerosene lan1n haek
through the iluid Curpentinc ana alrnhoi4
NHaIe oil. lard oil. the hanging oil lamps
OF Italy and Holland. to the fat lqrnns ~
fhe prehistoric Tint workers of England
probably III" oldest lamps i'm the world
Mingled with the implements and utan
Sis OF American and English origin vera
those brought here by tho early Dutch
ana 1Tynan settlers Of Eastern peuusvl.
Vaata, and ihe distinguishing character
isles or each were very marked Spect-
mems Of Illuminated handwriting dome nv
The German SchooimasterS in the country
$@hcol houses were shown some Of ,ha,,
of great beauty They We're the survival
IN the early portion az this century in
America. ~ the medieval art az raaru-
script Illumination which received lie
dcafhhlow on the invention Of printing.
Il fingered among the Mennonltes Of Bed
Ufnfer and Clumstead until about 1880
Mr.. Mercer said that the domestic ami