The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-02-16
THE CURFEw RINGER.
Sleepy Heads OF Boston I'm the
Seventeenth Century.

Boston in 1880. In 1649 Richard Taylor
was the curfew ringer here. Other
towns near by also had the curfew;
Ipswich, 1853; Hartford, 1865; Salem,
1913; Hadley, 1876; Charlestown, 1854;
Newbury, 17o6. Its original purpose
was that of fire extinguisher-couvrs
re feu-at eight or at nine o'clock in
the evening. 'Curfew shall not ring
tonight" In 1868 well-known writer
announces that the Boston curfew was
to warn young people home. In
"Romeo and Juliet" act. w., scene
~. the yesty Capulet, arousing his
household early in the morning, shouts:
"Come, stir, stir, stir, stir, the second
cock hath crowd. 'Tis three o'clock =
Taylor was Bostonian from 1641. Ir
business he was tailor. His shop in
1852 was 'at the south end of Mrs. Ham,
bros house," and in 1861 unGer the
stairs, northwest corner, in the town
house, to continue there during his life
and that of his wife. She died in 1878:
and in 1675 the heirs sold the lease for
the remainder of the e1 years granted
him by the town in 1860. He held sew
eral public offices-vood corder, corn
measurer, superintendent of the town
watch, guardian of the town clock.
Clocks in those days were not COM
mon. Boston In 1643 had horcloge on
Merchants rev, near the sea, between
State street and South Market street,
which was known as Edward Tynge's
Dali poste;" and Chariestown, as late
as 1856, had sun dill on its public
meeting house. Sand glasses were also
much in use. Thus, in 1914, Capt. Stagg,
in a man-of-war of "a guns. demanded
the surrender of Bristol merchant
man then lying in Boston harbor be-
tween Copp's hill and Charlestown.
Sand giving them only 30 minutes by
his sand glass in which to comply. The
merchantmen surrendered. But if you
had seen the commotion which pre-
vailed along the water front, and if you
had heard the denunciatory sermons Of
the ministers of Boston concerning the
affair, you would not have given much
for the safety of Stagg. his vessel, his
| crew. or his half-hour glass. But Stagg
carried away with him his vessel. its
cargo, and everything except, perhaps.
his daughter. who seems to have be-
come the wife of an established Boston
physician and the ancestor Of we'll
known Boston family. The wisest of
the Boston authorities took the sensi-
BILE view, in reference to this apparently
high-handed act Of Stagg, that in the
contest then going on between King
Charles and the parliament they could
not afford to quarrel with the Earl of
Warwick, 'magnus Admirallus An
gliae," whose commission Stagg was
| obeying.
The Bostonians in 1899 had at least
one bell. In 1852 another one. given to
| the town by valiant sea fighter, Capt.
!romwell, was set up as a clock. In
1857 the town paid Taylor "for repair
ing the clock for his direction to ring
| by" and in future he was "to bee a:
charges to keepe clock and to repayrc
it'' out of e5 allowed him by the town.
IN 1868 he still had charge Of the town
clock. At the same time the bell "neere
Goodman Taylor's dore" was rung al
s'clock and ati1. During the eighteenth
century bells were rung at various
hours, IL, and 9, though not always
the same bell-at the Old South church.
DR.. Sewall's, the Old Brick church. the
Old North.the New South. the West
und that of Rev. Mr.. Byles. In 1874 bells
| were also rung for opening the markets
| What clangor. and for every day in
the year, too! The racket must have
been intolerable, even worse than tina,
Of Independence day. Many were the
petitions from Boston bell ringers fol
more bell ringing and more pay. Oc-
casionally, however, under the plea OF
economy, the voters of Boston in town
meeting would do away with at least
a part of the bell ringing, then prevail
ing. Bells have also rung for town
meetings and for funerals. Thus Rich.
ard Taylor appears as the first New
England curfew ringer.-E. Rider. in
Boston Transcript.
How sIIkworms' EGGS Are Hatched
The Umbrian cattle are snow white,
and form lovely bit in the landscape; !;
but, strange to our American eyes.
cows as well as oxen are yoked to the
plow, and are never sent to pasture,
In fact, there is no pasture land for
them, and at sunset peasants are to be
seen up in trees stripping them of their
leaves, and filling sacks with them for
their stable-fed cattle. Until I in.
quired. l supposed they were gather
ing mulberry leaves for silkworms, a!
almost every family gives up one room
in the house to the raising of silk
WORMS, and the women Of the house
hold make little pin money in thi.
way. at no great expenditure of time OF
strength. Many an Umbrian dame ha!
unbuttoned her dress to show me lit
tie muslin bag of tiny black eggs wh:cl
she was Matching, and in which wer,
centered her future hopes of new
lgown.-Temple Bar.
1
Chicago Economy.
Miss Backbay-Isn't your t-oussea
costing you rather more than usual?
Miss Lakeside-Of course. but OF;