Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-07

shiycrine and inyoluntarily ]glauciug over
their shoulder as they fastened past some
haunted locality.
Dutch customs.
Ii is interesting to notice that got only
do We owe the Introduction Of public schools
into our country tn the Dutch, but also the
custom OF New Years visiting, the annual
visit OF Santa Claus, the golorod eggs at
Easter, doughnuts, c%rullers, New Years
cookies and various other good things.
Nor must We forget, as now that holiday
draws near. the institution OF Thanksgiving
by the Puritans. In the year 1922 Governor
Bradford set apart the last Thursday in No
vcnbor as a day Of f]eastiug and Of thanks
giving to God for the bountiful crops He had
given them. Accordingly the people and
friendly Indians assembled on that day
and fcasted, giving thanks to God for His
goodness.
The first printing press in the colonies
was at Cambridge. Mass, in 1899. The first
books published were collections Of sermons.
The first permanent newspaper, the Boston
| News Letter, was published in l7o4. The
first daily paper was the Federal Query, is
sued in 1892.
There was a postal system established,
Benjamin Franklin being the postmaster
general for the northern colonies. He and
! MS uaQEultI sally lAdlt q klblll AbNA va
the country in a chaise, perfecting and ma
turing the plan. The Journey which could
now be made in five days then required
five months.
The mail was carried from town to town
by post riders, who travelled at the rate OF
about thirty miles per day. Even the larg-
est towns rarely had more than three mails
per week. A newspaper was a rarity and
the lucky person who possessed one was
Immediately surrounded and begged to read
the news.
Or the first Monday of each month a packet
sailed from New York for Falmouth, Eng
land, with the mail and this was the only
way of communicating by letter with the
mother country.
Colonial Money.
When the Europeans settled this country,
the Indians paid for articles received from
each other in wampum. As the settlers
commenced making this currency for them
selves. it's value decreased, and furs, bullets
and shot gradually took its place, AS the
traders from the European countries and the
West Indies would not take their pay in
the most Of this currency, all the gold,
silver and copper coins were boarded in an
old stocking and were carefully dOled out to
make any necessary purchase from the
traders.
The country soon became very nearly
drained of specie and in 1862 the general
court of Massachusetts issued silver pieces
Of the value of six and twelve shillings.
These were merely round pieces Of silver,
with n. Il. stamped on one side, and the
value of the coin, VI or MI, on the reverse.
This coin, because of the absence of design,
was very distasteful, and another series was
issued. Stamped on one side of this coin
was an oak tree or a pine tree, surrounded
bE dots. outside of which were the words
Massachusetts NJ" while around the edge
on the reverse was the reminder of the
inscription New England, An. DOM In
the center of the reverse was the date
"1652' and the value of the coin, XII, VI,
III or II below it. The pine tree money was
called pine tree shillings." The Massa-
chusetts mint was closed in 1855 by order
OF the king. The colonies of Maryland
1659), Carolinas $3.50, Virginia Q773),
Louisiana u721, 1922, 1860, issued coin.
Parer money made it's advent during King
Williams war G6S9-'90. The colony of
Massachusetts issued bills Of credit as legal
tender in payment of the debt incurred by
an unsuccessful expedition against Acadia
under Phipps.
This brief portrayal of the colonists' man
n,rs and customs shows us the soil in which
such great minds as Washington and Frank.
lin lourished, and makes us think that we
would have been willing to endure the hard
ships OF colonial life If only We might have
participated in the noble struggle OF our
country for freedom or have been one o!
the signers of that famous document which
declares that "all men are created equal
and that these united colonies are. and OF
right ought to be, free and Independent
states"