Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-27

| ior fnen came the sausage dance" 9
form of entertainment probably un.
known outside of the Pennsylvania
| Dutch communities. section of a
large tree. like butchers block. often
| hve or six feet in diameter. was pro.
Vided. sometimes, when the enter
| tainment was very large and select
| several of such blocks were utilized
| Inc blocks were two and one-half ia
three feet in height, with smooth up-
per surface. suitable for sausage chop-
| ping. Every young man invited TO a
sausage chopping was expected Ia
Drlng an ak. two II he could, and when
as many axes as possible had been pro-
cured. the SWANS dotted their coats and
TOOK position in circle round the
chopping block, every one holding an
| ak in each hand. ready to begin on tho
sausage meat. which had already been
laid in order on the block. Without
this charmed circle there was another
composed of an equal number of girls
whose part in the operation was to
take firm hold of the ax-handIe and
mus AFFORD fulcrum for the chopper.
The two circles were thus bound To-
gether by the ax-handles. a more in
innate union being affected by the fact
that each girl held the right and left
mana axes of two young fellows in
front. Thus Gretchen held the right
mana ak OF Hans and the left-hand
weapon OF fakoop. and neither Hans
nor Yakoop had just reason for jeaI-
ousy. as her attentions were equally
divided between them.
When all was in readiness old
Diederich, the fiddler of the neighbour
hood. patted his foot to get the time
and struck up a lively tune, and the
two rings of sausage choppers shuff1e,,
merrily around the block keeping time
with their toes and axes to old
Diederich's strains. When Diederich.
or Peter. or WoOter. was sick. or had
imhibed 50 freely as 10 become in
capable Of worrying his fiddle into
shrieking complaint. a ready substitute
was found in the voices of the dancers:
an old Dutch lied was started and the
dance went on as well without as with
the assistance of Diederich When the
boys got tired of chOppng they were
spelled" or relieved. by the girls. who
took the axes. while the boys took the
AK handles and acted as fulcrums
While the sausage chopping was GO
ing on the rest of the company was not
idle. Some were doing the mixing:
putting in the pepper. salt. sage and
other good things. while others stuffed
the previously prepared skins with the
meat. forcing il through n tube with a
piston and filling. at one operation a
sausage of is inches or two feet in
length. which was then tied in Il ring
and hung up on a pole with scores Of
others to smoke and dry. When the
sausage had all been chopped every
body sat down 10 a supper Of sausage
souse. choice bits of pork swimming in
grease. fried chicken. coon. 'possum.
venison or bear in season. garnished
with cabbage or kraut, potatoes and
corn bread. with plenty of pies and
spreads
Spread making" afforded another
festival. The spread" was any jam
made of fruit and used TO cover a
slice of bread hence its name. Spreads
were made of apples, pears. peaches.
plums; even of pumpkins. The polite
synonym Of spread" was butter"
hence apple butter, plum butter.
pumpkin butter. Apples must be
pared and cored; some preparation was
necessary in the case of all the ma
terials used for the buffers, and what
would be serious labor for one family
was made season of jollity for the
young people of a neighborhood.
The St Louis gentleman whose youth
was passed amid such scenes was an
hOnored guest whenever apple butter
was to be made: he had an apple Darer,
the only one in his neighborhood. and
coul6 pare apples as fast as five or six
girls could core He never loaned his
apple parer to anyone. and in the sea-
son of butter making was the recipi
ent Of more invitations than any two
other young gentlemen in his circle.
In addition TO sausage dances and
spread markings" there We're corn
huskings, quilt servings and even kraut
cuttings. where whole barrels of cab
bage were chopped into kraut and
pounded down to ferment for future
reference. While the unitarian idea
was conspicuous. the educational and
esthetic were not neglected, for there
were spelling schools. in which when
one side missed the other had a right
10 choose the best speller from the de-
faulting phalanx. and contests of the
same kind in which the sides spelled
each other down. And there were
singing schools. begun at early candle
light" to say nothing Of balls for the
worldly minded and basket meetings
and revivals for the spiritual THOSE
were glorious old days. The young
ladies and gentlemen of the present
day would turn up their noses at the
idea Of dancing round butcher
block but to the young Dutch OF west
ern Pennsylvania it was as dellgntfui
as the german 10 our fin de slecie
youth. and. after all. the deed in the
doing il reaches its aim and sausage
dancing in a log cabin may be Just as
ENJOYABLE as the "lanciers'' in mod
ern ball room.