The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-02-21
By MINERVA SPENCER HANDY

weave and make them. Nothing was
wasted. Old scraps and pieces of worn
garments were raveled, dyed and wov-
EN- into cushions or chair covers. New
gowns were few and far between, and,
being fashioned with such great labor,
l am sure Martha and all 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 afterward of the great and good
eGeorge 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 unostentatious. All the
clothes worn by the general and her.
self were made in the house. Two
of Martha Washington's best gowns
were of cotton striped with silk, woven
from the ravelings of brown silk stock
ings and old crimson chair covers"
No high chairs. or in fact any chairs
at all, were provided Tor 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 food from the great table.
They were never allowed to speak ex-
cept to answer a question, and then
with the greatest respect and courtesy.
They ate very much simpler food than
you do, for there were no railroads to
bring them dainties from all parts of
the world. They ate in silence and as
fast as possible, regardless of diges-
ton, being expected to be moderately
satisfied and to leave the room as
soon as possible.
There were no kindergartens for the
children of that time. Learning was a
hard, uninteresting process, but the
children were soon put at it and could
read and write very creditably by the
time they were five years old and dcwere
able to answer correctly every ques-
tion 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 were increased
by thorough knowledge of hatcheling
and carding, spinning and reeling,
weaving and bleaching, cooking, candle
and cheese making, knitting, embroid-
ering and needlework of every descrip-
ton. Satan got few recruits from the
ranks of the idle. Almost all waking
time was filled with some useful occu-
patton.
Children had few If any toys. The
crudest of dolls comforted Martha
when things had gone wrong with her.
She may have had some dolls furniture
cut out by jackknife, but 1 am sure
she would have thought she was in
fairyland could she have peeped into a
modern nursery, filled with its almost
living playthings.
Despite all these drawbacks (from
our point of view Martha Washington
grew into a beautiful, loving girl and
brought to George Washington domes-
tic arts and home learned accomplish
ments which did more to make 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 as 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 and hard to us
born amid the ease and luxury of the