The Chilhowee echo. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1899-19??, 1900-01-20
Colonial Danm@go

The following paper was read by Mrs.
E. T. Sanford at the last meeting of the
D. A. RS:
| feel that my 18th Century sister
would have a great sympathy for me
this afternoon could she but know the
task our honored regent has given me.
The maid of 100 was taught from child
hood to old age that it is best to be seen
and not heard. Although, through my
club life, | have had many great advan-
tages, which she was denied, yet have
never learned parliamentary law nor
public debate. But shall, most briefly,
try to plead my ancient sisters cause.
First, let US peep into our modern
conditions of life and try to discover
why we are not all healthy and happy.
Our besetting sin of to-day is inordinate
ambition and great restlessness. We
have so much outside our home life to
absorb us that the constant friction be-
tween the two duties is most wearing
and fretting to our nervous system.
The modern woman Of to-day suffers
from an over supply of nerves. A mala-
dy whose serious effects cannot be too
seriously dwelt upon. I claim that the
road to happiness and health lies in
quiet contentment, consciousness of
duty well done, and certain amount
of hard work mixed in with our play.
The social life in the large centers in
colonial days was simple and hearty.
Social duties were not made onerous by
great display-display in trying to out
do ones neighbors. Entertainments
were not frequent enough to jade and
bore but rather the spirit of fun, SEEM
ed turned loose, and enjoyment was the
keynote of the hour. .-.
Again, women had no mental strain
put upon them to wreck the mind and
health. The men kindly and chival-
rously absolved the ladies from any ar
duous brain work.
Col. VIM. Byrd, of Virginia, an ac-
complished and cultivated gentleman,
wrote thus in his diary concerning the
feminine conversation: eve supped at
nine and then prattled with the ladies
our conversation with the ladies was
like whip and syllabub-very pretty,
but nothing in it."
find in my reading, however, that
all the gentlemen were very fond of
whip and syllabub.
Yet the 18th Century woman had
plenty of good, practical sense, mixed
with much native wit.
AS early as 1903 we read of most
wonderful woman, Madam Sarah
Knight, at whose knee Benjamin Frank
lin first learned to lisp his letters, and
also DR.. Samuel Mather. She was a
woman of great energy and talent; she
kept school when woman teacher
was almost unheard of; she ran a tavern,
shop; she wrote poetry and diary;
she cultivated farm and owned mills,
and specialized largely in Indian lands,
and was altogether sharp business
woman-an extraordinary woman in
any century.
Colonial danes were splendid house
wives and certainly there were found
no idle hands among them. Here is a
picture of a faithful wife found in the
quaint pages of diary kept by Chris
topher Marshall, well-to-do and promi-
nent Quaker, Of Philadelphia:
GAS have in this memorandum TAX
en- scarcely any notice of my wife's en-
pigments, it might appear as if her
engagements were very trifling; the
which is not the case, but the reverse.
And to do her justice which her SER
vices deserved, by entering them min
utely, would take up most of my time,
for this genuine reason, how that from
early in the morning till late at night,
she is constantly employed in the affairs
of the family, which for four months
has been very large; for besides the adj
dition to our family in the house, it is a
constant resort of Corners and goers,
which seldom go away with dry lips and
hungry stomachs. This calls for her
constant attendance in the orchard, cut