Читать книгу Village Life in America 1852-1872, Including the Period of the American Civil War - Caroline Cowles Richards - Страница 5

1853

Sunday, March 20.—It snowed so, that we could not go to church to-day and it was the longest day I ever spent. The only excitement was seeing the snowplow drawn by two horses, go up on this side of the street and down on the other. Grandfather put on his long cloak with a cape, which he wears in real cold weather, and went. We wanted to pull some long stockings over our shoes and go too but Grandmother did not think it was best. She gave us the “Dairyman’s Daughter” and “Jane the Young Cottager,” by Leigh Richmond, to read. I don’t see how they happened to be so awfully good. Anna says they died of “early piety,” but she did not say it very loud. Grandmother said she would give me 10 cents if I would learn the verses in the New England Primer that John Rogers left for his wife and nine small children and one at the breast, when he was burned at the stake, at Smithfield, England, in 1555. One verse is, “I leave you here a little book for you to look upon that you may see your father’s face when he is dead and gone.” It is a very long piece but I got it. Grandmother says “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Anna learned

“In Adam’s fall we sinned all. My Book and heart shall never part. The Cat doth play and after slay. The Dog doth bite a thief at night.”

When she came to the end of it and said,

“Zaccheus he, did climb a tree, his Lord to see.”

she said she heard some one say, “The tree broke down and let him fall and he did not see his Lord at all.” Grandmother said it was very wicked indeed and she hoped Anna would try and forget it.

April 1.—Grandmother sent me up into the little chamber to-day to straighten things and get the room ready to be cleaned. I found a little book called “Child’s Pilgrim Progress, Illustrated,” that I had never seen before. I got as far as Giant Despair when Anna came up and said Grandmother sent her to see what I was doing, and she went back and told her that I was sitting on the floor in the midst of books and papers and was so absorbed in “Pilgrim’s Progress” that I had made none myself. It must be a good book for Grandmother did not say a word. Father sent us “Gulliver’s Travels” and there is a gilt picture on the green cover, of a giant with legs astride and little Lilliputians standing underneath, who do not come up to his knees. Grandmother did not like the picture, so she pasted a piece of pink calico over it, so we could only see the giant from his waist up. I love the story of Cinderella and the poem, “ ’Twas the night before Christmas,” and I am sorry that there are no fairies and no Santa Claus.

We go to school to Miss Zilpha Clark in her own house on Gibson Street. Other girls who go are Laura Chapin, Julia Phelps, Mary Paul, Bessie Seymour, Lucilla and Mary Field, Louisa Benjamin, Nannie Corson, Kittie Marshall, Abbie Clark and several other girls. I like Abbie Clark the best of all the girls in school excepting of course my sister Anna.

Before I go to school every morning I read three chapters in the Bible. I read three every day and five on Sunday and that takes me through the Bible in a year. Those I read this morning were the first, second and third chapters of Job. The first was about Eliphaz reproveth Job; second, Benefit of God’s correction; third, Job justifieth his complaint. I then learned a text to say at school. I went to school at quarter to nine and recited my text and we had prayers and then proceeded with the business of the day. Just before school was out, we recited in “Science of Things Familiar,” and in Dictionary, and then we had calisthenics.

We go through a great many figures and sing “A Life on the Ocean Wave,” “What Fairy-like Music Steals Over the Sea,” “Lightly Row, Lightly Row, O’er the Glassy Waves We Go,” and “O Come, Come Away,” and other songs. Mrs. Judge Taylor wrote one song on purpose for us.

May 1.—I arose this morning about the usual time and read my three chapters in the Bible and had time for a walk in the garden before breakfast. The polyanthuses are just beginning to blossom and they border all the walk up and down the garden. I went to school at quarter of nine, but did not get along very well because we played too much. We had two new scholars to-day, Miss Archibald and Miss Andrews, the former about seventeen and the latter about fifteen. In the afternoon old Mrs. Kinney made us a visit, but she did not stay very long. In dictionary class I got up sixth, although I had not studied my lesson very much.

July.—Hiram Goodrich, who lives at Mr. Myron H. Clark’s, and George and Wirt Wheeler ran away on Sunday to seek their fortunes. When they did not come back every one was frightened and started out to find them. They set out right after Sunday School, taking their pennies which had been given them for the contribution, and were gone several days. They were finally found at Palmyra. When asked why they had run away, one replied that he thought it was about time they saw something of the world. We heard that Mr. Clark had a few moments’ private conversation with Hiram in the barn and Mr. Wheeler the same with his boys and we do not think they will go traveling on their own hook again right off. Miss Upham lives right across the street from them and she was telling little Morris Bates that he must fight the good fight of faith and he asked her if that was the fight that Wirt Wheeler fit. She probably had to make her instructions plainer after that.

July.—Every Saturday our cousins, Lucilla and Mary and Louisa Field, take turns coming to Grandmother’s to dinner. It was Mary’s turn to-day, but she was sick and couldn’t come, so Grandmother told us that we could dress up and make some calls for her. We were very glad. She told us to go to Mrs. Gooding’s first, so we did and she was glad to see us and gave us some cake she had just made. Then we went on to Mr. Greig’s. We walked up the high steps to the front door and rang the bell and Mr. Alexander came. We asked if Mrs. Greig and Miss Chapin were at home and he said yes, and asked us into the parlor. We looked at the paintings on the wall and looked at ourselves in the long looking-glass, while we were waiting. Mrs. Irving came in first. She was very nice and said I looked like her niece, Julie Jeffrey. I hope I do, for I would like to look like her. Mrs. Greig and Miss Chapin came in and were very glad to see us, and took us out into the greenhouse and showed us all the beautiful plants. When we said we would have to go they said goodbye and sent love to Grandmother and told us to call again. I never knew Anna to act as polite as she did to-day. Then we went to see Mrs. Judge Phelps and Miss Eliza Chapin, and they were very nice and gave us some flowers from their garden. Then we went on to Miss Caroline Jackson’s, to see Mrs. Holmes. Sometimes she is my Sunday School teacher, and she says she and our mother used to be great friends at the seminary. She said she was glad we came up and she hoped we would be as good as our mother was. That is what nearly every one says. On our way back, we called on Mrs. Dana at the Academy, as she is a friend of Grandmother. She is Mrs. Noah T. Clarke’s mother. After that, we went home and told Grandmother we had a very pleasant time calling on our friends and they all asked us to come again.

Sunday, August 15.—To-day the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was held in our church, and Mr. Daggett baptized several little babies. They looked so cunning when he took them in his arms and not one of them cried. I told Grandmother when we got home that I remembered when Grandfather Richards baptized me in Auburn, and when he gave me back to mother he said, “Blessed little lambkin, you’ll never know your grandpa.” She said I was mistaken about remembering it, for he died before I was a year old, but I had heard it told so many times I thought I remembered it. Probably that is the way it was but I know it happened.

November 22.—I wrote a composition to-day, and the subject was, “Which of the Seasons Is the Pleasantest?” Anna asked Grandmother what she should write about, and Grandmother said she thought “A Contented Mind” would be a very good subject, but Anna said she never had one and didn’t know what it meant, so she didn’t try to write any at all.

A squaw walked right into our kitchen to-day with a blanket over her head and had beaded purses to sell.

This is my composition which I wrote: “Which of the seasons is the pleasantest? Grim winter with its cold snows and whistling winds, or pleasant spring with its green grass and budding trees, or warm summer with its ripening fruit and beautiful flowers, or delightful autumn with its golden fruit and splendid sunsets? I think that I like all the seasons very well. In winter comes the blazing fire and Christmas treat. Then we can have sleigh-rides and play in the snow and generally get pretty cold noses and toses. In spring we have a great deal of rain and very often snow and therefore we do not enjoy that season as much as we would if it was dry weather, but we should remember that April showers bring May flowers. In summer we can hear the birds warbling their sweet notes in the trees and we have a great many strawberries, currants, gooseberries and cherries, which I like very much, indeed, and I think summer is a very pleasant season. In autumn we have some of our choicest fruits, such as peaches, pears, apples, grapes and plums and plenty of flowers in the former part, but in the latter, about in November, the wind begins to blow and the leaves to fall and the flowers to wither and die. Then cold winter with its sleigh-rides comes round again.” After I had written this I went to bed. Anna tied her shoe strings in hard knots so she could sit up later.

November 23.—We read our compositions to-day and Miss Clark said mine was very good. One of the girls had a Prophecy for a composition and told what we were all going to be when we grew up. She said Anna Richards was going to be a missionary and Anna cried right out loud. I tried to comfort her and told her it might never happen, so she stopped crying.

November 24.—Three ladies visited our school to-day, Miss Phelps, Miss Daniels and Mrs. Clark. We had calisthenics and they liked them.

Sunday.—Mr. Tousley preached to-day. Mr. Lamb is Superintendent of the Sunday School. Mr. Chipman used to be. Miss Mollie Bull played the melodeon. Mr. Fairchild is my teacher when he is there. He was not there to-day and Miss Mary Howell taught our class. I wish I could be as good and pretty as she is. We go to church morning and afternoon and to Sunday School, and learn seven verses every week and recite catechism and hymns to Grandmother in the evening. Grandmother knows all the questions by heart, so she lets the book lie in her lap and she asks them with her eyes shut. She likes to hear us sing:

“ ’Tis religion that can give Sweetest pleasure while we live, ’Tis religion can supply Solid comfort when we die.”

December 1.—Grandfather asked me to read President Pierce’s message aloud to him this evening. I thought it was very long and dry, but he said it was interesting and that I read it very well. I am glad he liked it. Part of it was about the Missouri Compromise and I didn’t even know what it meant.

December 8.—We are taking dictation lessons at school now. Miss Clark reads to us from the “Life of Queen Elizabeth” and we write it down in a book and keep it. She corrects it for us. I always spell “until” with two l’s and she has to mark it every time. I hope I will learn how to spell it after a while.

Saturday, December 9.—We took our music lessons to-day. Miss Hattie Heard is our teacher and she says we are getting along well. Anna practiced her lesson over sixty-five times this morning before breakfast and can play “Mary to the Saviour’s Tomb” as fast as a waltz.

We chose sides and spelled down at school to-day. Julia Phelps and I stood up the last and both went down on the same word—eulogism. I don’t see the use of that “e.” Miss Clark gave us twenty words which we had to bring into some stories which we wrote. It was real fun to hear them. Every one was different.

This evening as we sat before the fire place with Grandmother, she taught us how to play “Cat’s Cradle,” with a string on our fingers.

December 25.—Uncle Edward Richards sent us a basket of lovely things from New York for Christmas. Books and dresses for Anna and me, a kaleidoscope, large cornucopias of candy, and games, one of them being battledore and shuttlecock. Grandmother says we will have to wait until spring to play it, as it takes so much room. I wish all the little girls in the world had an Uncle Edward.