The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-11-26

come one of the landmarks Of our ma
tional life. 1t is fitting, therefore,
that we should observe the day in an
appropriate manner by the giving Of
thanks to our Heavenly Father for his
bountfful blessings. The conditions
which confront us today are certainly
very different from those which our
Pilgrim fathers faced nearly three
hundred years ago. Our harvests have
been bountiful. our country is rea-
sonably prosperous, and In addition
to that we have been spared the hor-
rors Of war. During the past year or
so we have seen the nations Of
Europe, one by one, drawn into the
terrible vortex of war. Up to the
present time we have escaped. For
this we should render thanks to God
and fervently pray that in the COM
ing days we may be kept from the
tragedy and horror of war.
Conditions In Puritan Times.
I'm order that we may appreciate
more fully the blessings which we
enjoy, since it is by contrasts that
we learn, 1t might be we'll for US at
this time to forsake the beaten paths
OF Thanksgiving day discourses and
make comparison Of life such as we
find it today with the conditions
which confronted our Pilgrim fathers
generations ago. realize fully the
difficulties OF such an undertaking. 1t
is no easy task to go back DER the
dim tracks of time and get an under
standing of conditions as they pre-
vailed long ago. We are so in the
habit Of looking at everything
through these intensely modern eyes
of ours that 1t is almost impossible
to take q sympathetic view of the
past. Notwithstanding the inherent
difficulties Of the undertaking / am
persuaded that it is possible for US to
obtain such, glimpses OF conditions in
early New England as will enable us to
reconstruct fair picture of the life
of that period.
In place Of the commodious houses
such as we enjoy, heated as they are
by furnaces or steam, and lighted by
gas. or electricity, the houses OF our
Pilgrim fathers were rudely con-
structed of logs, and often consisted
of single room in which the fam
lily, and families were large in those
spent their leisure. The only means
OF heating these cheerless houses was
the large open replace in which the
greater portion Of the heat assembled
the chimney, while the shiyering oc-
cupants would crowd about the open
fire for warmth when their backs
were almost freezing. The furniture
was of the most primitive sort. and
for the most part was rudely fash
toned at home. Pictures and libraries
and instruments of music were scar
cely dreamed of. while rugs and car
pets were unknown. When Henry
Ward Beechef's mother procured her
first carpet, 1t was a rough canvass
affair upon which she painted the &C.
sign herself. Soon after 1t was laid
down one Of the deacons of the
church called, and when the door was
opened he stepped back aghast, ask
ing in open-mouthed wonder II he
should step on the thing. That WAS
nearly two hundred years aftsr the
coming Of the hrst -colontsts.4 For
some time after the airiral of the III.
grims there were no domestic nri-
mails and the soil was titled by land
In the most primitive manner. Gvery-
thing that was worn was fashioned at
home There were no tailor STOPS or
dressmaking establishments with the
iate.. Paris fashions, but ely
article Of wearing apparel was homo
made, from the carding, spinning and
weaving processes to the completion
Of the finished carmen When we
consider the home life Of that period
in contrast with our own, how CRATE
full we should be for modern homes
with present-day comforts and con-
veniences.
Some Other Contrasts.
"1he churches Of that period were
ri