The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-11-18
TIN PURITAN TIMES.
WORD PICTURES OF THE QUAINT
LIFE OF THOSE OLDEN DAYS.
The Few Recreations and Amusements of
the Chiidren-What Is Meant to SECT
the Mitten"-The Reverence In Which

| the Mitten"-The Reverence In Which
the New England Sabbath Was Held.
Though Puritan children had but few
recreations and amusements, 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 fgura-
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
fires fed, there was leisure either for read
Ing or sparkling Who will ever forget
the transparent and delicious streaks of
candy, cooled in snow, while 'sugaring
ou. 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 the
kettles and keep up your fires the sap
having been gathered and the wood cut
before dark. l remember In this way to
have read history of the French revolu-
ton. / remember also how happy l was
| to borrow the book after 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
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;
II otherwise, an effort to withdraw the
hand would leave the mitten So the sutton
would get the mitten, but moi the hand.
There were large families in those days.
Sir William Phipps was one of 26 children,
Benjamin Franklin was one of family of
IT, They rejoiced in some very singular
names. These are the names of one fam
lily: Experience, Waitstill Preserved,
| Hopestill, Wait, Thanks, Unites, Desire
and Supply,
1t Is interesting to note that the dinner
hour has gradually moved from the fore
| noon until evening. The word dinner Is
believed to be corruption of six hours,
or 9 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 or half past, and the real
upper crust don't dine until some time
next day." He had evidently been
brought up to think 12 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
suppressed the boisterous spirits OF youth,
and early planted q 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
| CnurCn, as III rOduS l6u 10 INOllle. LII SUM
mer 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
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
wigs were full of learning, and as freely
as 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 be set In the stocks"
1t was also ordered that profane swear.
ing should be punished by sitting in the
stocks three times; telling lies, fine OF
10 shillings or sitting in the stocks two
times. In 1886 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 were appointed
. to see that they did mot play in meeting, v
and to keep the dogs out of the meeting
house.
Mrs. Stowe gives picture Of the old
meeting house, which Is the best / have
! found. "To my childish eyes our meeting
:. house was fashioned on the model OF
Noahs ark and Solomon's temple. Its
Q double rows of windows, of which knew
the number by heart its doors, with great
wooden quirks over them; its belfry, pro
3 jecting out ut the east end; its steeple and
Q 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 long iron rod to the
. wall abovei How 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 q balustrade ten inches
high. Through these loopholes the chill
dren could watch each other and report
discoveries
a The meeting houses were not warmed,
o but the old and the delicate carried foo
| .xo,os apA hot tho carvicac fhav nj