The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-12-23
OLD TIME cHRIsTMAsEs.
The Wonderful Changes That HAYS
Been Wrought During the Last
Half Century.

The Christmas of 1s47 was a simple
and tender affair, consisting mainly of
Santa Claus and we'll filed stockings.
The presents were homemade, with
few added sweetmeats and toys. Think
of the changes! An orange was sight
more rare than custard-ap ples are now.
A banana do not remember having
seen before 1850. Farmers used old
fint-locks to shoot the squirrels for
Christmas pie-or what we used to call
the Queens arms These were Brit
ish muskets, captured during the revo-
luton. The first breech- loader was
patented in 1886; but they were not
in common use. We wentin thick stoga
boots because rubbers were barely
known; and do not think a rubber
boot was in existence. What we had
were sort of Indian moccasin Inn
ported from Brazil, capable of wear
ing for ten years. The first Good
year patent was taken out in 1885.
About the same time the first machine
was put in operation for making pins,
while for pens we used goose-quills
or even hen-quills. 1t was, however,
peculiarly inventive period. All the
knick-knacks that are most familiar to
us were then novelties and costly. A
bunch of pins in a Christmas stocking
was not despised If box of matches
could have been had it would have been
q welcome gift from Santa Claus.
The stockings were hung up by the
huge old fireplace, where great logs
burned and Goals were covered up at
night. In rural sections we had never
seen scuttle of coal, and had only
heard of it as an effort to burn black
stones. Whale-oil lamps marked the
advanced line of progress in lighting
streets and houses. There was no dream
of canned fruits and cocoa and choco-
late, although we had plenty Of tea
and coffee. 1t was impossible to give
sewing machine or photograph.
Daguerreotypes were not devised until
1899; and the first were taken in Amer
lea at least year later. remember
when Avery, who took the first sun pic
ture west of Albany, carried it up and
down the streets, flushed with his first
success; and ran into house after house
to exhibit it. 1t was ghostly affair, to
be squinted at and guessed out; but
after oil it was the beginning Of
great art.
The presents were fuller of affection
because homemade. The whole family
had been at work for weeks planning
and executing little gifts. The boys
made boxes and toys and hand sleds.
The women made stockings and muf-
fers and dainty caps, while the girls
made slippers. and the fathers made
shoes. A home was word that meant
great things in those days; for both the
women and the men had trades, az well
as knack and knowledge of land Gull
ture. tits interesting to note that some
of our best observers and social stu
dents prophesy large reaction from
our present fast and uneasy age to the
quiet and calm of those earlier days Of
the century. OF course we shall not
give up our inventions; but with them
we may lose our boyish excitement, and
react to another period of reconsidera-
ton. This has bee the history Of the
past. Eras of restless aggression have
been followed by periods of reflection.
We could do all that is necessary for
happy social state with less of wear.
and less of nerve friction. Will cleo.
tricity help US in this direction? We
believe it will.