The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-11-18
INNS IN OLD NEW ENGLAND.
mrs. ytH,y'. oook shOtf , "'"
Dy 'DgONIt bb
Tn. pl.m.i o,dins,, NJ N. r"'its" 'nd I'VE
sh,.,fui Tt,,tr iha' ss''""d'' ""
U,h,as usr WI" ws,'h'd The 'nt''
urm.rLahIr nIInh. /, h.i,ttrllNW W'

IN her book Ius' plllsh"I ''W''
Coach and Tavern DIyH, We NN"' N'''
J,fio 'isa ~, r,tl'f back ln'" W. '''' '''
Of tho I'D umrs gone u'Ilnif'' ''"''' "'''.'
vIii tho wealth o. 'p' rh'' sf'p''' ,''' ~
v,,. %. a. Inn. aud old f,v"tn 'srh"afd'
ou,ct tavern sryfs '''u.'"d Htd gwen ~
Mound, .nIIngt nni uau,r, old hills ~ iar"'
r.mp,. fr rupp irus denominations ~
,ogle a, i,rcrrnt -'uu'' '",'-, '"r'p' IRON
Gid ,.t,.r. and diaros. roling - individual ~
o.r.,c.t ~ stag, coaches aud inns and ~ ih'
ou,i,.a ou,sr onnptn, mot therein With tics"
and IN, tho1,and md ono other mln'Ii' d'tali'
Of colonial AID Revolutionary days Mr. fhrI'7
b,,k mt. 10. On rpr" ,Ii-u 'pfuWIni"n WIN
our ,nco,fYr4 md Their wnys and gives n'
clever id,as nf vhnt manner 81 men they were
than would man, lprIt.'' ~ mere history
IN, pictures gwen oi tho inns Of New Eng
LAND durug the bleak roUg1 90 Pur,tiniSn Ar"
Distinctly chilling and m run harmony ~ thH'
respect Nlth IN" "'h"r %tcltur'4 ~ Puritan III"
To begin with. tine Ano,I = Of IA hous' II public
.,t.rt,inuplt was 4 v~uri'iou that had but
,c,n' p,nllariiy IN the early New England
Colonial tinoI Not only were strong induce
mari- M ,hc way, sometimes. Of grants "t lana
or. ,n,rr commonly, free cattle pnsturas', ana
exemption from church rst"a aud school taxes.
nc~,aslrv 10 pNrsilio p"np'o % MAINTAIN inns,
but in SOM resumes actual coercion had 10 ho
brought 10 boar.
"Consld,ration for the welfare 81 travellers
And = desire to regulate the sale ~ intoxicating
i1uor.. saw Mrs Earle. seemed 70 IN" Nagi~-
tratos irrpor'art enough reasons not only T."
counsel BIT 80 enforce tlr opening ~ some
kind Of q public house in each community. ard
IN 1853 tho Gon,ral Court ~ MlSs1"'ila"'fS
mad, towns liable 70 n one for not sustaining
an ordin4ry Towns wore Gu"d aud adWontshed
for not conforming to this .av Concord Mass
was ono Of tho numbp' IN" Colonial records
NJ Connecticut ordered 'one Sufficient inhahe-
tsnt' In each town 10 keep an ordinary since
stranger, were strisa'"n'd Tor want OF en-
,ar'1inm"ut
IT,. f,rr WA that ito restrictions surround
ing the keering OF n tavern wcr" so severe
that rooplo found insufficient compensation
lr the generally uncertain profits for the anxiety
and trouble the business involved. They
we're n one time not ~ bc permitted 10 sell
80. or -'roug waters. or To have any dane
Ing W singing within their walls No games
could be- played in their precincts 1hey
were even numbered in the selling Of cakes and
huns The sports Of the innyard" were sternly
froNncd upon by Puritan Magistrates. Among
the games which were named as forbidden
in the ord,nsrics were ",ardi1g.' diciny. tally
WV :, AuN TANA' A''. 49,
nineDins After a time. presumably In some
wide open" epoch. shuf'eboard and bowls
were tolerated in private houses, though not
deemed reputable at the ordinary.
The tithiug man was n first the oNicial ap-
pointed to spy specially upon the inns, He
Inspected these houses. made complaint or
any disorders he discovered. and gave IN TO
the constable the names Of such persons "a
he chose 10 put In the category OF idle drinkers
and gamers. He It was who sat in judgment
upon the amount the guests at the inn should
have To drink, and John JOssclyn. an English
visitor Ia Boston in 1882. thus recorded his
displeaSure at the arrangement:
At houses of entertainment into which a
stranger went, he was presently followed by
one appointed To- that Office. who would thrust
htm,c!. into the company uninrlted. and If
he called for more drink than the officer thought
In ms judgment he could sobcrly bear away.
he would presently counterniand 1t. and APP
point the proportion. beyond which he could
not get one drop"
The Development OF the business OF enter
tanning travellers is marked by three sue
ccs,ivc stages or cpochs. and each epoch IL
marked by a different name popularity given
10 the houses in question In the Puritan
epoch. a! though the term is not adhered 10
In what is written above, the only name by
which a house Of public entertainment was
known was ordinary" Following the or
dinaries came The era OF taverns and after
,averns the hotel stage. Of which We ere prob
ably now about reaching the climax with a
slight reactlonary tendency already devel-
oped oward going back to the simpler en-
yironments and cosler comforts OF the old
inn and tavern DAYS The grim and dismal
reign OF the ordinary continued In the colonies
for nearly a century, and then came the cheerier
times and warmer, brighter life OF the tav-
erns The actual date Of The beginning OF
ihe tavern epoch Is about tie birth Of the
eighteenth century. although old-fashioned
folk sthl continued TO call them ordinaries
loLc after thar time
The word inn. SAYS Mira Earle, universe 81
in Fnglish speech. was ltt,e heard here. and
tavern was universally adopted Though to-
dsv somewhat shadowei bv . formless rspu-
tltiol of he.ng frequently applied 70 hoete .res
- vulgar resort AID course faro and WAYS,
the word tavern. nevertheless. IL a good ono.
resonant of sound and accurate 81 Application,
sinc'to this present time In the Commonwealth
of MiSSlChu 'ctts and in other state, large
a1i si n7tIous clravanseries are in the e,e
and tongue OF the law simply taverns. and their
rroprietors innholders or tavernkeepers.-
With the dawn OF the tavern days not only
was the tavern life less hamrered. but the
tavern, then,elvss bloSsoIned cut into gay
trapplugs ali adprnmcnts. As u rule. judy
ing from the photographs in Mrs Earle'' book
Of the old Puritan inns which are still surviving.
the. were barn-l,hc structures. cherries
enough TO look upon from without and quite
IN keeping with the dismal melancholy which
IN Ia, tim a. wael the wer. orinaries reigned
within their walls. While the cJteriors could
not be chlu;'l when they came 10 be taverns.
their interiors were greatly enlIvcned by more
or less Irct"ntIous dee oratiOns.
The better class Of @ ld-time ~taverns.- say.
Mrs. Earle, always had "A psrlor. This was
u.si "A, a sitting room for women travellers
or might b" hired for the exclusive use Of some
wealth. person OF family. IL was not 40 o vial
a room a. the tap room. though in winter a
glowing tire in tho open fireplace gave 10 the
formal furnishings that look Of good cheer
and warmth and welCoue which Is ever present
ev'n in the meanast apart ment. when from
the great logs the fame shot ~ and the rude
furnished room burst iower-lke into "a rosy
bloom. The walls - one tavern
parlor which ] have seen were painted with
scenes from a tropical forest. on either side