The independent-reporter., 1910-11-24
DAY
l8lO-- 1910
A Mighty Difference
Twixt Then and Now
Some Things Our Ancestors Had to be
Thankful for and Some They Didn't.

would be delightful to keep Thanks
giving as they did in 1910, grandfather
looked over his glasses and smiled.
Shall tell you about this part of
the country in 1910. Molly" he asked.
this town of Canaan in the wilds
Of Somerset the new county a year
old set off from Lincolnshire in the
District of Maine, Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, when Elbridge Gerry
James Madison president of the Unit
ed States,-and the United States not
yet century old?' 20, do grandfath-
err" she cried and the old man began
to enumerate some of the things they
didn't have to be thankful for in 1910
as prelude to naming some of the
things they did
There were no stoves Cooking was
done before open fires or in great
brick ovens. There were no matches.
Tinder box and flint and steel were the
quickest way of striking a spark. Tai
low candles were the best light pos
sible. Clothing, linen, bed coverings,
carpets and stockings were all home
and hand made. The women and
girls spun and wove and knitted and
braided rugs The shoe maker came
once year to make the heavy shoes
needed in winter Little folks went
barefooted in summer Time to play
was short in 1910. There were no
railroads or electric cars, no tele-
graph, no telephone. A stage coach
came in once a week. There were no
musical instruments, few books in
Canaan then.
There were no meat markets Every
man killed his own calves, pigs or
chickens. He had salt pork and veg
etables always in his cellar; corn and
grain he raised for himself; apple
orchards had just begun to bear here
These last with preserves made from
]
sible on the Thanksgiving table. White
fiour,-white bread was not the com
mon thing. Indian and rye were the
staple bread stuffs.
There were only rare newspapers
and their news WAS always stale. The
mail came perhaps once week
There was only one church building
that which stood in the old GENE
terry three miles down the south side
river road. Here town meetings were
I held when they were not called tC
meet in the center school house
The post office was near,-either in
Samuel or Eli Weston's house There
was store at Samuel Weston's ant
perhaps one or two more in town
There were no schools but district
schools and the school books were
queer and dry looking but my father
knew the pieces in his reading bool
by heart and he didn't hate to study
those dingy old volumes bit moro
than you do the ones full of pictures
There was bridge over the Ken
nebec then across both channels from
the island but it had only been bull
in 1903 Two new roads. one running
from the bridge on the Bloomfield
side to tie Bigelow place, and an
other rem that bridge to Solomon
! Stewards piece, were accepted tina
yea. 3o,h ! n into the main travel
ed Iof % Norridgewock,- what VIZ
cali til Blocmfi Id road which theI
cro-jeG the kimball place joining the
back road to Norridgewock at the L
G. Trafton place. The bridge anC
these roads were causes for thankful
ness for they saved the inhabitants
many a weary mile round and the
bother of crossing the river by fer
ry.
When my father got up in the dark
ness of Thanksgiving morning, the
Goals. carelessly covered in the fire
place had gone out over night
the tinder box and flint were mssinf
50 his mother sent him to neigh
bor's to borrow fire. That procured, {
fire was built in the big brick oven
| breakfast prepared before the fire
place and eaten and then the active
campaign began. The work anC
chores had to be hurried through fol
every body who possibly could had tC
attend service in the old meeting
! house coming back, cold and hungry
to the dinner.
There were chickens, chicken pie
and spare-rib with vegetables; there
were Indian puddings, pumpkin pies
and mince pies; there were preserves
and pickles and all sorts of home
made relishes. There were many
guests dressed in homespun most OF
them; there was a lot of fun and a
lot of work with old fashioned games
and stories in the evening by candle
and fire light but we can have more
good things now with not half the
work We do not freeze in the back
part of our rooms while others roast
on the hearth; we can gather under
our roof not only neighbors. and
friends near by but those from across
the continent and if John can't come
on Thanksgiving you won't have to
wait a week or a month to find out
why He can telephone and let you
know. Again we do not have to sit in
a cold church and listen to a long,
long discourse by the Rev. John Cay
ford. You can have a new hat and