The Worcester spy., 1901-12-08

This is a very fascinating work for
all people The author has collected
much really original material The
pictures that adorn almost every page
of the work are exceptionally inter-
estlng and pleasing She has given us
a charming glimpse Of colonial garden
making. During the first 80 years fol-
lowing the landing of the Pilgrims the
cultivated flowers were few in number
most of them being brought from Eng
land. The settlers of New York brought
their flowers from the Netherlands SO
the author traces the inhabitants OF
the early flower gardens and inciden-
tally the vegetable gardens of the
country. What the author says about
the old New England front yard is
worth more than passing attention.
Sarah Orne Jewett in the plant of
"a Mournful Villager, has drawn a
beautiful and sympathetic picture of
these front yards, and she deplores
their passing. I mourn them as | do
every fenced-in or hedged-in garden
enclosure. The sanctity and reserve of
these front yards of our grandmothers
was somewhat emblematic of woman's
life of that day: it was restricted, and
narrowed to a small outlook and mo-
notonous likeness to her neighbor's;
but it was a life easily satisfied with
small pleasures, and it was comely and
pleasant to the home household; and
these were no mean things
THE front yard was never a garden
of pleasure; children could not play in
these precious little enclosed plots. and
never could pick the howers-front
yard and flowers were both too much
respected Only formal visitors en-
tered therein, visitors who opened the
gate and closed it carefully behind
them, and knocked slowly with the
brass knocker and were ushered in
through the ceremoniOus front door
and the little ill-contrived entry, to the
stiff fore-roOm or parlor. The paTson
and his wife entered that portal, and
sometimes a solemn wOuld-be sweet
heart, or the guests at tea-party. It
can be seen that every one who had
enough social dignity to have a front
door and a parlor, and visitors thereto,
also desired a front yard with flow
ers as the external token of that hon
ored standing. 1t was like owning a
pew in church; you could be a Chris
tian without having a pew. but not a
respected one. Sometimes when there
was a "vendue" in the house, reckless
folk opened the front gate, and even
tied it back / attended one where the
auctioneer boldly set the articles out
through the windows under the lilac
bushes and even on the precious front
yard plants. A vendue and a funeral
were the only gatherings in country
communities when the entire neighboT-
hood came freely to an old homestead,
when all were at liberty to enter the
front dooTyard. At the sad time when
a funeral took place in the house the
front gate was fastened widely open,
and solemn men-neighbors, in Sunday
garments, stood rather unCOmfortably
and awkwardly around the front yard
as the women passed into the house
of mourning and We're seated within.
When the sad services began, the men,
too, entered and stood stif1y by the
door. Then through the front door,
yard, and through the open front gate,
was borne the master, the mistress,
and then their children, and children's s
children. All are gone from our sight
many from our memory, and often,
too, from our KEN while the liIacs and