Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-16
THE CORN HUSK|K' DANCE
MUCH MODERN|zED NOW
Shuckin' of Maize a Sociable Pic
turesque Feature of Life
on the Farm.

II was late in mild October, and the long
autumnal rain
Had left the summer harvcst-helda all
green with grass again,
The first sharp frosts had fallen, leaving
all the woodlands gay,
With the hucs Of summer S rainbow, or the
mcadownowcrs of NAV
So did Whittier introduce 'The liusk-
crs and so have 'huskin tune, the
"huskin bee" and the corn huskin
dance come on apace with tho harvesting
of tho crops in tho United States for close
to three centuries Maze was not native
to England and the Puritans We're not
much given 70 gayetics, but the corn
hIskln'. nevertheless, IS q survival OF the
harvest home festivals Of the land from
which the Puritans sprang. And the
"hliskin bee rs IL Is known III the
United States, had its origin IN the part OF
the country settled hy tho lhlritans
Rack in the Eighteenth Century, joel
BARLOW Connecticut Yankee, who had
varied and somewhat distinguished career,
filled in his leisure tune y, writing verse
After serving as 4 chaplain IN tho Revo-
lutIonary War. and accumulatIng com
pctcnce during tho French Revolution,
he was sent as an Ambassador TO France,
in 1911 The fame which he achieved
through his poem. The Vision Of Colum-
bus, later expanded into an epic rs The
Columhiad. together with the success Of
his "Hastv Pudding. stood him IN good
part in fixing his place rs a man Of letters
In the latter poem he wrote,
For nov. the cowhoilse filed, the harvest
home.
The invited ncighhors 70 the h,isking come
In later wears. tho clubhouse known rs
the barn became tho assembling place OF
the huskcrs. and particular attention was
paid by the young people 70 keeping the
hoor Of the barn. usually the threshlng
floor, in perfect order. The Shining
floor" saws Lowell IN "Fircside Travels,
suggests the flail-heat Of autumn, that
nlcasantcst of monotonous sounds, and
the later husklnC bee where the lads and
Iassics SIT around laughingly busy under
the swinging lantern.
The husking Of Indian corn was, and
continues to bc, the occasion Tor the
"huskin' bee but neighborhood
soclahility was and continues to be, the
, principal object Of the gathering Young
/ people from time ImmemorIal have been
active participants but their elders have
I not ALWAYS held aloof from the games or
/ other incidental amusements. Even IN
staid New England when
into the quiet night the twilight
lapsed away,
and deeper in the frightening moon the
tranquil Shadows lay,
/ From many 4 brown old farmhouse and
hamlet without name,
! Their milking and their home tasks done,
the merry huskers came.
Whittier wrote Of tie New England
''huskin'," and gave his poem the New
England color
Urged by the good host 5 daughter, q
maiden young and far,
Lifting 70 light her sweet blue eyes and
pride of soft brown hair,
The master of the village school, sleek oI
haIr and smooth of tongue,
To the quaint tune OF some old psalm .
husking ballad sung.
The observance Of the "huskin bee
has differed in different parts OF the coun
try. The time is usually the same every
where, toward the end of October. The
huskin is carried on under long establish
cd rules There is the same fun over The
red ears Of corn and over the matching o
ears There are the same games, but, faI
from Puritan times and Puritan tradition
and influence, the local fiddler, and some
times the village orchestra Of three pieces
is slipped IN about he time the more sedat
floor is cleared and the corn huskIn
, dance" goes on.
In these more advanced times, whe
there is electricity on tap on the bl
Western farm no single oil lantern hun
on pitchfork prong serves 70 lllumlnat
the scene Not at all Nothing less tha
bulb-Iighted ed Chinese lanterns will do no'
land as for the solitary fiddler, or even th
three-piece orchestra neither would answe
the purpose The 'parlor grand
moved over from the house, there is
second as we'll as first violin very likel
i, there IS a cello and there may be a harI
A few years ago the girls used to come
calico. or, at most delaine, but now there
dressing room for them, TO which the
/ may retire after the huskin and prepai
to meet the young men, who also hay
been busy in a recess at the other end
the barn, changing their working f
i their store" clothes
People viii be heard to say that Il
! "huskin' bee" and the corn huski
dance" were more enjoyable back
: Iinsey-woolsey and homesuun days, b.
these are people who, for want of j
Q innate acquaintance with modern Gu
toms, are hardly qualified to spea
It authoritatiyely The Christian Scien
e / Monitor