The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-01-09
rcontinueA from last week. !


the winter, when we we're in school,
and after snow had been falling all
day until We saw there would be fine
sleighing that nj hit, when we would
put our heads together and plan a
party of sleighriders to meet at q
certain home and It was An easy mat.
ter to get sufficient number in those
PROLIFIC times to insure a jolly good
time.
Charles Wagner in his "Simple
Life" (which I have called 80 much
attention to as to hope you will obtain
and read it) says, "The old sort
amused themselves as naturally as the
blacksmith knocks of horseshoes, or
the water leaps, or the colts frisk In
the meadow. 1t was catching and
cheered the heart. In spite of ones
self one cried out, GO 1t lads this is
the right kind of fun Pleasure and
simplicity are two old motos."
But quiltings and wood choppings
we're the most frequent parties in
those days and more for the amuse-
ment found at them than for the
help, though that was very consider
able. Girls learned to be expert with
their needles by being taught to piece
the bright calico scraps (left from
dresses) together to make outside
coverings for their beds before white
bedspreads had come into use. And
they took as great pride in piecing
and quilting them as girls do now In
making centerpieces for our tables,
for by the time the straw tick and the
40 lb. feather bed which was their
common weight, we're in common use
we're placed upon the cords (which
have been replaced by bedsprings) the
bed when made up reached nearly as
high as mans chin, and consequent
ly a great deal of the top quilt was
shown, and fastidious housekeepers
prided themselves on having them
pieced artistically out of bright
colors and quilted beautifully in
designs called feathers, diamonds,
ETC., and then they kept them scrupu.
lously white and clean adding greatly
to the beauty of the plain but pretty
bedrooms. There Is not much quilting
done now as the pretty patch work,
hand. made quilt has been superseded
by the machine made counterpane.
And wood chopping parties have
fallen into deseutude on account of
the scarcity of timber and the abund.
ance of coal.
am not one of those, who think
that the "good cd days of yore" we're
ahead of these in every thing. No,
far from 1t. have lived to enjoy too
many of the modern advantages to
think that. But do believe that
among the few advantages that the
homes of our grandsires enjoyed over
our homes of today, was that of their
open fire places, while we have our
furnace heated homes especially In
towns.
AS much as we enjoy having our
houses made at summer heat through.
out in winter, zero weather; with all
of the advantages of water works In
consequence, yet our children are
great losers thereby. In the first
place, do not believe 1t 1t as harmful
for them as to live In a lower temper.
ature than is common In a furnace
heated house. And then they are
tempted to 60 of to themselves, SO az
to read In perfect quiet, or to take
their company into rooms remote
from their parents where they might
read books and engage in frivolous
amusements and conversation such az
are not the very best for them to Say
the least, and In which they would
not he so likely to indulge in the pres
ence of their parents. Discipline is
absolutely necessary as the foundation
for happy and useful life and there
is imperative need of tempering the
vivacity of youth, by the kind admoni.
tion of serious and thoughtful persons
of age and experience.
believe. with their limited advan
tages) children then, we're better In
formed on general current topics, ANT
we're better conversationalists thar
the youths of the same age are to day
because of their close association.
with their parents and their visitors
around the dear old hearth. stone.
am glad that was born and lived
In the country In the early days O
the Methodist Episcopal itinerancy
The preachers generally made oul
home their stopping place; ! suppose
partly on account of our parents beinl
the oldest members OF the church In
that neighborhood and partly becaus
of their royal hospitality, to the ex
tent of their ability, as well as -theil
congeniaiity. At that time with the
labor which devolved upon the farmer