The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-11
OWNS RARE old ALMANACS
William Colwell, of Chicago, Has
Valuable Collection.
Those of Over Century Ago Very
Different From the Condensed En-
cyc1opedic Animals Of Today.
Much Space Given to Rhymes,

! Much Space Given to Rhymes.
William ColweIl, business man in the
Haymarket Building, West Madison
| Street. has rare and curious collection
| of New England aimanacs dating from
l"4 to l1Se. The collection is net an en-
tirely complete one, many pages and half
pages being mis- sing but a glance through
their yellow and tattered pages reveals
| many things curious. interesting. and IL
Illustrative of the tastes and thoughts and
manners of the day
The almanacs of a century and q quar-.
ter ago were much different from the con-
densed encyclopedia ANIMALS issued now-
adays- They paid attention to COM
merce, statistics. ordinary politics, indus
trial questions, or International relations,
but the authors. however, managed to
display much literary and prophetic YER
satility. They were especially strong in
weather predictions and as prolific in
poetry as in prophecy.
In fact. they broke into rhyme on all
most every subject, as when in noting
the terms of courts in the Colony of Con-
necticut in l77l. those unfortunate enough
to have suits pending are advised as fol-
lows:
Anoint thy lawyer, grease him in the fist,
He'll make thy case strong though the same
were weak,
But if thy purse be dumb his tongue can't speak
These cid almanac contain recipes on
al! sorts of subjects. and here is one for
the bite of a mad dob, which just now
may be deemed timely
Let the person bit be blooded, and
take every three hours of boIus of musk
and camphor made with honey, and a
pill of opium
The little annual for I776 Is entitled
"Watson's Register and Connecticut AL
manack." and was published at Hart
ford. 1t is decidedly patriotic. and shows
its spirit and aggressiveness both in poet
ry and prose. Here ore few samples:
o, sons of freedom. never then give place
To threatening tyrants savage race.
Our country calls; let virtue hail the day. +,
Immortaiize names without delay.
With public spirit let each bosom glow,
And love OF liberty direct the blow;
Rouse, patriot heroes, and pursue the plan,
Teach listiess souls what It's to play the man.
Mr. Watson then turns to prose and
reads for his countrymen this encourag-
ing lesson in the stars:
America is governed by Mars, Great
Britain by Venus; this same Mars and
v
sign Gemini but as Mars was never sub
iusated to gunarchial power. tbs to be
hoped he will brave it out. and oppose
every female artifice to circumvent him."
And judging from the outcome of the
revolutionary struggle Mars must have
lotly chased Venus o;it of the sign Gem
nj. Under ordinary conditions this would
nave been rather ungallant proceeding
IN the part of the god of war, but seeing
hat liberty and humanity were at stake
md that Venus had become the shame
ess partisan of that mailman George III,
ne onslaught Of Mars may be justified.
The almanac for III, printed at New
london, is passionate advocate of the
var for independence. 1t has venom for
he Hessian and a sting for the Tory on
imost every page, and curiously uses a
TRANCE fact of interesting story on which
o base caustic comment
The frequent incursions of the Tartars
md other barbarous nations into Poland
nd Germany, says the writer, forced the
women sometimes to leave their children
xposed in the woods, where they were
ursed by bears and wild beasts. Such
eings, when afterward found were d.
ested of all the properties of humanity
ut the form and went on all Tours From
ne following conclusion:
Mote. Some of them. perhaps. were
but be that as it may, it is
lear from the above that we have more
eason to expect kind usage and protec-
on from bears and wild beasts than from
he powers of Great Britain"
After a description of an eruption of
iount Aetna and the rivers of molten
linerals that run down it's sides, we
ave this comment:
Note These rivers of fire are a lively
nblem of the rage and fury of the Brit
n troops Thanks to heaven their rage
nd fury hath been hitherto restrained:
ipotent rage Is not to be dreaded An
hutchinson or the devil himself can go no
rther than the end of his tether.'
The almanac OF lis. published at New
'ndon and edited by Edmund Freebet-
r. has nothing to say about politics or
ar, but 1t is strong in poetry and aphor-
ms. Here are a few of the latter:
take care, lest you are dragged to
the bar,
ID from thence carried far.
What contention, what confusion for
little more of the earth"
All the happiness and glory of a state
pends on the education of YOUTH
The dame that's old
Now feels the cold
Which makes her scold.
his prediction is made for December,
lie for November it is declared that
i things are cold. the young ladies ex-
ted
Edmund Freebooter is responsible for
almanac of 17s0. and he appears to
We been pretty close political observ-
1t also appears that hot weather
1 no more terror for officeseekers in
'se days than now, for We find the fol-
ing as one of the evils predicted for
gust:
Many politicians about this time with
at avarice pursuing their own private
is. being clothed with that beautiful
-ment, the public good"
he succeeding almanacs in the colIec-
/. up to and including that for l7Se. are
pared by Isaac Bickerstaff, and deal
sely in aphorisms and predictions as
nomical and otherwise. Mr.. Bickerstafr
ms to have had good deal of cynical
nor in his composition, as the follow
from his almanac for 17S6 will witness:
There are, saith Riblus, sixty-three
rs to get money and 200 ways 10 spend
besides drinking; but he that hath a
let to his wife need not care how to
nd his money. for she will spend il
enough for him.
n the month of July the farmers are
y at work. but it is play day with
Supreme Court lawyers; only now
y are Drawing causes. to set them
zach near the end of the month The
st curse We can give our enemies is
they NAV be continually in law for