The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-14
In Old New England.

Century lie N New EnSlanu Hiii-to"h-
1t is the work of Jane DeForest Shelton.
and the scene is laid in what is now
Huntington, Conn. 1t cannot fail to in
terest anyone who cares for records of
old-time manners and customs, and many
details of old-time New England life are
given which will be new to the general
public. The people with whom the book
deals are of the well-to-do farmer class,
corresponding to the planter-folk OF Nir-
ginia, though hardly SO wealthy. They
belonged to the class whose sons and
daughters are we'll educated, and who
are. as the phrase goes, looked up to-
whereverthey happen to be.
The name of this particular old house
came from its shape, which was that of
an old-time salt-box. The style of archi-
lecture was distinctively New England.
and quite different from the plan on
which the old colonial Virginian house is
built. The author says of it:
Built after the fashion that ruled largely IN
Connecticut for half of the last century, ii was
more convenient and conmcdious than graceful
picturesque. Coiloquially II was called
''salt-box house its lines repeating those OF the
wooden salt-box that hung in the kitchen CHM
ney. The ridge pole was set far 10 the front.
from which a short roof pitched to the top ca the
second story, but the back ROOF sloped long ard
curveless down to the outer line OF the ceiling
OF the ground floor. reaching out a wing beyond
that TO cover the l. that cuddied close 10 the
main house.
Tie chimney, too, the houses great centre,
was set well forward. Following the prevailing
custom. irrespective of the highway. the house
faced the SOUTH The wide front door. with long
iron hinges stretching across it, opened into
small hall or entry" from which. by few
steps and a landing at top and bottom. the
staircase, with its quantity turned hausterS,
wound against the back Of the chimney. leading
to another short hall above. From each end OF
these entries opened rooms large and square,
leading again into other rooms. and on the lower
floor the whole front OF the great chimney made
the cheer OF the long kitchen.
Beyond the house the many out-5uildIgs,
the l. covering both well and fireplace. the
''end-kitchen." the lj'te house that made quart.
ers for some of the slaves, the sfnokehouse ana
woodsheds, and Beyond these. across the gar
den were the great barns giving shelter 10 the
various animals that bespoke the necessities Of
the day when each family lived primarily upon
its own resources, and there another well with
q long sweep repeated the house-lines IN Its
Slope.
The author has certainly made the most
Of an abundant supply of material. The
book is full of the atmosphere of old CO.
lonlal days, the hearty, hospitable, up
right living of the best class of New Eng
land farmer Before Tic great West came
into competition with the farming lands
of these States. the owners thereof, by
careful planning and thrifty management,
made a very comfortable living. They
seldom had much wealth, bu: they had
enough They did not often come to
want, but they were never rich enough to
waste. There was industry without over
work. intelligence without morbidness,
comfort without extravaganza. The con-
Citions of those days tended to create
class of people fond of books, but always
familiar with manual labor. There was
never a large laboring class who could
be depended upon to do the bulk OF the
hard work. and thus the people were
forced TO put their own wits into SER
vice. and develop labor-saving devices.
a TIE household here described. there
were several slaves, who were treated
more as members of the family than any
thing else, there being only four or i've
n the household, as rIle. Some OF the
Kitchen arrangements ruled over pv
Mandy, the cook, are thus described;
MANDY. having mastered the secrets of New
England cookery, served from the great fireplace
and from the even, frst the bag pudding oil
Indian meal, boiled for seye'al honrs III II gam
cd rudy color: this led the midday dinner;
then the meats hciied baked, sparerib, turkey,
goose. or Cosling. young pig or leg OF mutton.
or the boiled salt-beef. with vegetables, to be
followed by pics, always OF two kinds. or Pud-
ding. an Indian pudding with dried apples or
sue in it, or bstter-pudding thick with any Oh
the be-ries Of the season. served with sauce
made d milk butter and molasses. And who
could msF- as good appe-dumpings, or frltters.
to be eats- with cider and moiasses! Pies
served for brea'fsst were unknown, though ginger
bread or dcughp-'s might have place at that
meal. And sweet a'ples baked in the deep oven,
being put in after e>>-ything else Was cooked,
anau ~ 10 ger MIC
6ayor.
The function in cooker was always that OF
the great oven. When 49, house was built.
bricks had not come into in this part OF the
colony, ana. like the chimney, tr' oven was
made of stone Its iron door was abo'if three
feet from the floor, the open space underneath
being q receptacle for big kettles or sometimes
fer the oven wood. cut three feet long, which
must be perfectly dry before using. Mandy al
lowed no one but herself TO superintend the i'm.
portant Office Of filling the oven with wood, and
lighting il by shore!full OF Goals from me
hearth When the wood had burned the coat
were skillfrllv taker out with the long handled
s.peel'' and then with wet broom made OF corn
htsks the stones were SWEPT clean She put the
loayes of bread on the stones, by means OF
fat wooden shovel, and the children, ever peep
ing in anticipstory delight, held their breath
as she brought from the buttery the PIES ihat
had been waiting behind that closed door, ior
'Nandy's baking began often before cock-crow.
steady and seiIlful hand needed 10 place all
properly. that each should have the desired
amount Of heat The pie-plates were OF brown
earthen-ware, rounding and somewhat unsteady
of base. and TO place one full Of liquid pumpkin
far in the hot recess was wcll-nigh impossible.
A tin dipper had not cheered housewives eye,
and though goufd might be used tor dipping
wafer it could not serve all purposes Inns
difficulty was met by wooden spoons With han.
dies half yard long, an sqnsrsh-shaped BOWL
holding nearly hall mt, that, supplemented
by 'Mand.'s long req : could safely MI 10 TIE
brim the haif-fllei pie-pates- Now and agar
nad earf fnf
from the oven en- the watchful goddess took
observations. Then were ii rs in the fruit sea
son. uhon the other cooking being finished, WIZ
n air Of nys;ory she placed IN the dark even
a storc-pot well covered, holding, as she alone
rnew. plrms gooseberries, or other fruits and
their n:odicum of loaf sugar, leaving 1t IN place
TIL the following day, and repeating the proc
cess after three bskings for thus she sometimes
made sweetDeats.
II may be remarked that little later
the brick oven was heated by the fire from
below, rather than in the manner here de-
scribed. In the ordinary New England
house OF little later date the brick oven
exists. but is heated fi.u the fireplace, or
from a separate fire OF it's own, and not
by wood burned in the oven itself.
The thriftiness Of the New Highlander,
both in money and time, led to the peculiar
STYLE of architecture which characterized
his house. Most ld-fashioned farmhouses
in that section are what is known as "sto-
ry-'n-a- half houses" In the days of Queen
Anne, when colonial types Of house build
ing were in process Of formation, there was
q tax on all two-story dwellings. The
Southerner accordingly built his house all
on the ground floor. II he did not wish to
pay the tax The New Englander. knowing
that his wife and daughters would have to
take care OF that house, and that he would
have to keep II warm In winter, wished
rather to huddie 1t as closely as possible
about the big chimney, instead Of spreading
It over much ground. He therefore con-
strncted IL with q lnnp curyinp roof slnninp