The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-07
A GLIMPSE or OLD TINES.
school Life In Connecticut an Hundred
Years AGO.

School Life In Connecticut an Hundred
Years Ago.
In the early days Of the last century the
town OF Iitchf1eld In Connecticut was the
site Of two notable educational institutions
The first OF these was the Litohheld Law
School. in which many men of note received
their early training. The second was Miss
Sarah Pierce's school for girls, afterward
known as THE Litchfeld Female Academy
For many years Miss Pierces school was
famous throughout the Union. or at least
throughout the coast and Gulf States. 1t
had its beginnings In a class organized,
probably, In 1892 In the Pierce dining room,
and for forty years it fourshed From
records now available. Emily Noyes Van
derpoel has compiled history Of this
school, which Is OF peculiar interest In its
presentation Of some phases OF the New
England school life century ago.
The young women who sat under Miss
Pierce's instruction were taken as boarders
by the residents Of Litchheld, and were
under the family discipline Of the households
In which they lived, There was no lack Of
| social life for them in dances concerts,
| and similar diversions, in which they were
| permitted 20 participate along with young
men Of the law school. The young men.
| on their side, were in the habit OF serenad-
ing the young ladies after nightfall. Itch
field must have been pleasant spot In the
early years Of the nineteenth century.
The diary Of Charlotte Sheldon, young
woman OF Litchfeld, written in 1893, when
she was 10 years old, and had upbuilt a
reputation as monster In learning" gives
an idea OF the occupations Of the pupils
at the school. Here are few entries found
In the month Of May:
Thursday, and Cleaned my chamber. sewed.
read In the American Magazine, wrote q letter to
Fanny Smith tho l shall not send It to her was
inattenuve got 10 the foot In spelling. took a
walk with the girls, got wintergreen a honey
suckle, had q very agreeable walk, came home
dressed my hat with honcysuckle ground
pine.
Friday 3rd. Sewed almos, all morning. studied |
geography lesson. d recied It. dressed d |
went to Holmes where spent the afternoon very /
agreeably spent the afternoon & evening at Or. |
Smiths there was very large circle lhere
Saturday. 4h. Went to school, wrote curious
epstlc to Sally Tracy. wrote q letter to Fanny
Smith copied It, read In Goldsmlths animated J
Nature. went TO the store times. scwed on my
short gown.
Sunday 5th, Attended meeting all day. read in
Goldsmlths Animated Nature. l like It very much.
many parts OF II are quite Interesting took a run
In the garden sewed all evening.
The Sabbath ended with the setting OF
the sun. In 1917 DR.. Lyman Beecher was
the preacher to whom the young ladies
listened, and Miss Eliza A.. Ogden, in her
journal for 1917, thus records her impress
sions OF HIM
Sunday ! attended meeting. Mr.. Beecher
preached very good sermon. quite as good as he
usually does though do think he Is one Of the
best Of preachers
Here Is an extract from a letter written
In 1919 by Miss Mary Chester to her mother:
DEAR MoTHER: II you can imagine TO yourself
q person travelling In the burning sandy deserts
without anything to quench his thirst for q long
time finally some one should give him cup Of
cold water say Mother II you can tell what kind
Of sensation that produced you could have better
Idea OF the satisfaction It gave me to receive your
lovely letter.
Miss Chester wrote later to her brother,
and made this sisterly observation:
Every Wednesday afternoon we have lectures
In Philosophy II had shirt here to make for
you, would make It while am hearing these lect-
nres They are very interesting. Thurs
lays we have fuss parsing II takes us more |
han three hours to parse nve lines In common COM
position.
Shirt making under the eye OF the lect- ,
lrer In philosophy would have been more ,
perhaps Of more lasting value. |
Here are some extracts from the journal I
sept by George Younglove Cutler, q student 9
If law under Judge Reeve in Litchfeld in
$50:
Sept 10. The reason why a man puts his left log /
n nrst when he draws on his pantaloons, ia be- | n
auso the operation Is such a commonplace one y
nat the man does not stop TO call his aid
low then acting without any principle he Is gov a
rned entirely by his most natural feelings-d
eing creature naturally avcrse to exeriOn he
Ices that which costs him the least trouble-now =
mn rh gtRFt he I<ff L.
ne-bccause the left leg being less accustomed T.
for want OF arduous use. which the right leg more @
undergoes to being depended upon D
Is borne upon with less weight than the right.
Ilso moreover. the right leg by the above mon 9
oned use exercise acquires stouter character u
ecomes heavier d moro dtlcult to raise-lpage
lissng This then Is the state OF the casethat that
aculy or quality or Ingredient or component part II
the human mind which Is called reason--ls not Il
rought into operation by the act OF Gdonfso,ion- u
ING the legs with pantaloons but on the contrary =
ature natural feeling are the sole agents In the Il
ced-& the discrepancy which exists brtween | n
he government OF the rules OF experience 4 that ii
instinct is apparent TO every man when he puts a
n his pantaloons.
Mr.. Cutler explains that -adonization" r.
derived from Adonis. and means buck is
lg out, brushing up" "furbishing," n
making fix or -prigging" good word. II
n Dec. IS, this record was made by Mr.. 70
utter: h,
Miss Mary Ann thought She was near being w
widowed at the kissing bout which has been held CT
l..
This further entry proves how popular
lie kissing bout was:
They say Helen was all but kissed to death At the
aRdons The wonder would be II She was not. les
John Pierces "almanach" shows that he We
u p rdg trowzers,' Jacket. on
I'd other "wearg apparile." Good days, We
bod men, good women; does the like of pu
at society flourish in New England to- ma ma
~? w.
The Slap-Dash Broad A. W
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: de,,r, in | a.,