New-York tribune., 1906-04-07
"A Surrey Of Manners and Customs
in Revolutionary Days.

nj &
.-risl conditions in the thirteen colonies at
-. ~ the Revolution. Its object is appar-
-, n supplement the histories Of the period
.l,lr,p clear the state Of development Of
=. ,,lories as revealed in the life and manners
= .ne neople. and so 10 lead TO a better under
e.,,sing. on the part OF the student. OF the
,sss the nature and the outcome Of that con-
a.. he has sought his material in the news
magazines and pamphlets OF the time.
an other contemporary literature, supple
- l,v research among unpublished letters
- 5iaries The work accordingly has the
-. ~ being the result OF original investiga-
.,+bourh there is. in fact. little brought
- - ,hat should be unfamiliar 10 any one
- interest IN the beginnings OF present
--,-,e-t has carried his reading al all be-
- his school and college textbooks. We must
.,a issue with the author in his statement that
., .-,erican Of to-day las Yet knows little OF
=, American people themselves OF that famous
=" even granting that too much perhaps"
a, t,esn sacrificed 10 what may be called the
- - history" by the generality Of writers
: .be- reriod. Professor Schouler is not the
a.. -ers7n 10 have delved in the miscellaneous
N ,,l,,,- trustworthy sources OF which he
=, :, exceuently aYailed himself. A selected
-. of historical fiction could easily be laid
=, ,,pirh would cover admirably in effect,
,,,,,,7 u-.th less multiplicity OF detail the main
&c ~ The present work. That is not 10 say,
- that The book has not been wisely un-
s+.psr or that il fails to furnish a ready
-. 30 occurring a very complete perception Of
-, Lester q $ wen OF the spirit Of 90" II al
,-5s n short cut FOR the student 10 great zeal
- +rsr hand Information. and summarizes Tor
= l-.,-o4 reader much that could otherwise
=, r-i-es only through secondary and less au-
.t.,-.to channels. Unfortunately, the authors
s.,Is Is rot particularly seductive. most Of his
- ,,,sr.zi,.c could profitably be spared, and
=, volume would nave been improved for read
80, - the chapters showed fewer traces OF their
original preparation for oral delivery in the form
~ lectures 81 Johns Hopkins University. Too
,r,.b stress seems TO have been laid upon Gus
,or,s that do not differ materially from those OF
,be rressnt day and there are times when fuller
sxrlsrati0us Of long vanished usages would pe
welcomed The work is painstakng and illumi-
mating. but rather after the fashion OF one who
disposas a multiplicity Of lanterns along the way
than of him who throws upon the road the broad
and steady beam Of a searchlght
old World influences were. Of course. still
srronr I'm America q hundred and thirty years
aro. and belief in political equalty had not
leveled social distinctions, nor indeed. has II
sore SO vet although IL seems strange 10 read
,bsr N borh Harvard and Yale the students
were arranged in the class lists according TO
their family consequence. Slaves, Of course
were owned IN al the colonies, and the newspa-
pers Of The day contained many references TO
them. Thus an advertiser in The Massachu-
sets Gazette" offers 10 sell very cheap for cash
q spriehtIy. clean and healthy negro woman.
about thirty years Of age. possessed Of every do
nestle quality except taciturnity, which is the
reason for disposng Of her Social differences
were also recognized in law:
-io--vsr ms privilege long conceded
BY common law 20 men OF letters, so that they
biscE lefter lain Was nut INTO the hands OF the
convicted person and 81 he could read and translate
IKE trained eccesiastie-as "a gentleman and a
Fcholar'-he was only burned in the hand put
GJ1er"ise le had = sdiIeI INC otan Iells,tS' IN an
seen invoking tins privilege. Bur stringent act
scartal offence iH Massachusegts without benefit
OF clergy, and IN such phrase did legislation come
10 exclude The plea IA other colonies.
Marriage" remarks Professor Schouler, 'fn
this simple and sincere age was not only stable
as an institution hut remarkably prolific" and
he gives instances that would rejoice the heart
Of President Roosevelt. OF a Massachusetts
deacon, dying in his eighty-fourth year. il was
printed thar mis- life was exemplary; his de-
partGre in firm hope of Immortality: his progeny
was numerous" He left 81 fact, 157 OF his issse
alive including five reat-grandchildren; while
in Wilmington. Del, died a "pious. elderly
matrou. who had been mother Of 16 children. all
married ana comfortable: 6S grandchildren. 166
great-graadchildren and 4 great-great-grand-
children-in all 23S living oTspring-survived
her; the generation Of the just shah be blessed"
Houses, even the larger colonial mansions"
where 50 much splendid hospitality was offered
seem 10 have been strangely inadequate TO ac-
conmoeate these huge families 70 say nothing
Of the frequent guests; and the author con-
c.udes that there must have been a good deal of
doubling Up" not only upon occasions of fes-
uvItg, hut, indeed, ordinarily The houses being
generally Of wood, fires were frequent. and often
disastrous. owing TO The lack Of means of
putting them out. "A simple candor." writes
'he auth0r, was shown by the press in relating
the E4lscretion. if any which had caused the
olsaster' in Andover. iu 177O. an old house, next
TO the meeting house. was burned 10 the ground
's three lonely and aged inmates" perishing in
NE names, though rroyidentially," it was re-
ported. 'the meeting house escaped unharrned
owing 10 the direction Of The wind"
tlt%o o-d maiden sisters. 81 seems, were in the
he5 vt.,H sl''has ileir pipes after they got into
s1aF me caro-lcef. 'it may not be amiss 10 eau
''oa people against such q practice"
Distances were long, roads were bad and
haees few. The journey from New York to
1l-adelpaia took three days-twO by ''the flying
machine The fare was 81. The Schuylkin
was crossed by q rope feIry-"such as a foreign
bo-.!si may sun find upon the Rhine" remarks
fIoiessor Schouler, who would have found plenty
such sun la Use here if he had wandered
Ate o1 Ae beaten paths Of travel. Inns
offered poor accommodations. as a rule but the
people lived on abundant, if usually plain, fare.
LoosicIs were caught nearly as big as men and
oysters were found a foot long. Saddlerocks,
indeed Hard drinking was prevalent. People
dressed according 10 their station ia life, the