Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1902-02-22

weave and make them. Nothing was
wasted. Old scraps and pieces of worn
garments We're ravclcd. dyed and wov-
on into cushions or chair covers. New
gowns were few and far between. and,
being fashioned with such great labor,
l am sure Martha and alf little girls
who lived in her time took the greatest
care of them. Even when she became
the wife of the rich Colonel CuStis
and aftcrward of the great and good
George Washington she WAS industri-
Gus, economical and simple in her
tastes. We are told by one historian
that, "although court etiquette pre-
vailed in their public life. their home
life WAS very transformations. All the
clothes worn by the general and her
self were made in the house. Two
We're of cotton striped with silk. woven
from the rarelings Of brown silk stock
ings and old crimson chair covers
No high chairs. or in fact any chairs
at all. were provided IOr the little folks
when Martha Washington was young.
Even at the table children stood re-
spectfully behind their elders chairs,
taking what food was offered them.
In the better families they stood at a
side table With trencher in hand, bring
ing their -ood from the great table.
They were never allowed to speak ex-
cept to answer Il question. and then
with the greatest respect and courtesy.
l,y
you do. for there were no railroads to
bring them dHintieS from all parts of
the world. They ate in silence and as
fast as possible. regardless of diScs-
ton, being expected to be "modcrately
satisfied and to leave the room as
soon as possible.
There We're no kindcrGartens for the
children of that time. Learning was a
hard, uninteresting process. but the
children We're soon put at it and could
read and write very crcditably by the
time they were five years old and were
able to answer correctly every uucs-
ton in the Westminster Catechism.
Boys read Latin and Greek by the time
our children are just beginning to mas
ter the alphabet. Girls had little need
of such accomplishments, but their
simpler school lessons We're increased
by thorough knowledge of hatchclng
and cardinG. spinning and rccling,
wcaN ing and bleaching. cooking. candle
and cheese making. knitting. embroid-
ering and necdlewOrk of every descrip-
ton. Satan got few recruits from the
ranks of the idle. Almost all waking
time was filed with some useful occu-
patton.
crudest OF dolls cumfOrtcd Martha
when things had gOno wrong with her.
She may have had some dolls furniture
cut out by q 1ackknife. but am sure
she would have thought she was in
fairyland could she have pceped into a
modern nursery, tilled with Its almost
living playthings.
Despite all these drawbacks from
our point Of viewl Martha Washington
grew into n beautiful, loving girl and
brought to George Washington domcs-
tic arts and home learned accomplish
ments which did more to mnke him
happy than those we deem essential in
our time. Mount Vernon. that ideal
home of the southern gentleman of the
eighteenth century, bears witness to
her skill ns a housewife. The "mother
and daughter power" of the colonists
gave race OF home bred. home loving.
home honoring women. Although much
In their lives seems odd ana hard to us
born amid the ease and luxury OF the