158 



^l)C irarnicv'0 ilUnttl)hj tliriitor. 



For the l'"ariiler's Mmillily \'jsilt)r. 

 The tJoo«l iild TiiiicR. 

 Wliat is there in llie ]i:iM lliiil rasis so soft jiiiil 

 emleaiiiii; a shadow ? Mow does it hapiiini that 

 reiiieiidiiaiicc oiilv .-ecnns to peiforji] the kind of- 

 fice of pi-psetiliiii; to our iiiiiids those ohjects and 

 circiuiisliinces that hiiii;; jov and ph'a.-uie once 

 known, heieft of those diawhacU.s that invariahly 

 attend the present? Is il not that we aie iiatin- 

 idly inclined to revive that which allbrdeil ns 

 happiness, wliile we reject the ahoys tliat attend 

 it ? When we were qnile hovs did we not hston 

 to liie narratives of the ai'ed of those times when 

 They were young, anil dweifing upon the events 

 of tlieir times, liow they inviiriahiy ciintnisted 

 iheni with the then present, in which Ihe jiresein 

 was ever in llie sluuiovv of depression .Tiid fallen 

 condition? And is it not the same now, when 

 ■we hear silvered locks converse ? anil do not we 

 that wear them act nnder the same propensity 

 for exagaeralion of all that is pleasant, and forgel- 

 liainess of the painliil? 



Porsnini; these ihon^hts may there not be some 

 fjnestioii it With all the improvements in njechan- 

 ical powers and sciences, man has heen rendered 

 happier or made hetter. 



This may he thought a little too iinich in the 

 genei'al ; if so, let ns he a little more particnhir 

 i;i what was in onr mind when readinifin the last 

 luiniherof the \'isitor the article on silk, ai:fl the 

 inei.'ion there made that it iniirht snpply the 

 })la<-c nf the distaff and the melodions spinninj; 

 wiieel, which have heeii sorrowfnlly silenced liy 

 the capacious and piompt exeenling liictories. 

 This would be most desirable ; for has not folly 

 come al(Hi'j with the idleness of the limes ? We 

 who c .M _o h.iok some forty or liliy yeaijjt re- 

 tneiiihrr i;ow it was then. Scarce a nonseltl the 

 country could he approached, hut we heard the 

 thrifty sound of the spinning wheel, swellinj; ami 

 dying, like a bar of nnisic ; atid the young wo- 

 men were found at home, with their minds pure, 

 while their hands were busy. And o(n' home- 

 spun clothing — it was something that kept the 

 skit) dry and warm ; and we could jump a fence 

 or mount a horse wilhoni breaking loc-ie at the 

 elbows and knees, as we sometimes now do. 

 Theyonng people rjjay ditier wiih ns as to the 

 benefit of the change; but 1 think the old ones will 

 shake their heads, and give a preference to the 

 time when they werevonng. 



Wearing apparel has become cheaper, but have 

 liie wearers become liappier? 'J'here are so 

 many scenes and circumstances, the blazing 

 hearths and brioht lighted fires connected with 

 the winter evenings and old spinniLig wheel, that 

 some time ago when ] heard the almost tiirgutten 

 hum as 1 approached a country house, I slopped 

 to listen if my ears were true : the tear gathered 

 in my eye, and the somid went deeper to my 

 iiearl than a strain by the best Bo.-ion band of 

 nmsic. 



It would seem very desiralile since tlie mnnu- 

 factories have snperseile<l ihe dnmeslic produc- 

 tions, and that stern fashion suslains the change, 

 that some pursuit, some home effort, to employ 

 our families should be fouiul. Formerly in very 

 many faufilies all the shininir, sheeting cloth. &c. 

 was made at home ; and ipiihing too, that joyous 

 a.iseuiblage, when coverlets were worked, insK^id 

 of coimterpanes being wove — then wastiiere not 

 time, and time enough (iir all these ihiiiKS? Cut 

 how is it now? jelieved from these hon;e efforts 

 that were like staves to virtue and health, by a- 

 dopting the more beautiful productions of ma- 

 chinery, we appear to have less time than ever, 

 and the little left to be done which formerly was 

 done — why, lily-cheeked youth cannot soil her 

 fingers with it. Our pride, that costs us more 

 than our necessities, and engendered as it is by 

 want of industrious habils, is it not ruinous to 

 our families ? 



Willi the lessons daily before nsof the success 

 of indu.Htry and virtue, does it not seem straneo 

 that so many of our people push their hoys tijr 

 the posts of gentlemen, .-iiid tinir ^irlsto become 

 ladies in that sense which makes idleness a boast? 

 If we are willing to be taught by experience, ifa 

 careful inspection of what is every day hefi^re 

 our eyes, has any thing in it instructive, do we 

 not gather from ihem that most of these efforts 

 are failures; tluu the two Ibid afHiction of [.ride 

 and poverty result from these ill-judged attempts 

 to elevate ujion any other basis than modesty, in- 

 dustry and virtue. We have no other iiobilltv I 



than merit and talent which must ever climb to 

 elevation by steady perseverance, and yet we 

 would ('(unpass these heights by external ajipear- 

 ances and inactive tiffectalion. 



Shonh! we not endeavor then to introduce 

 somctliing to supply the oldfashioneil habits of 

 (hunestii: indnslry of half a century back, under 

 a conviclion that belter than any mone) or repu- 

 lation we may posses.s, will be" to our children 

 habits of indiistiv, tempeniiice and virtue? 



OLD TIMES. 



Saco, Me.. Sept. ].">, 1843. 



REMARKS. — Among the country moveables at 

 Ihe Railroad depot ihe other day, our attenlion 

 was attracted to the beam and ketch of an an- 

 cient weavei's loom, as precisely like that on 

 which the good mother forty-five years ago wove 

 not only ihe woollen striped liock and trousers, 

 the tow and collon-lineii shirts, but the finer tow 

 and linen for pantaloons and vests, and even the 

 liner woollen cloth lo be fulled and dressed by 

 ihe vi|l:ige cloihiiu- I'm' Sunday and holiday wear. 

 This venerable i>ld relic indiH'ed us to look tiir- 

 ther into the pile, and there we saw almost the 

 precise spool-wheel on which, acting the hoy and 

 girl of all work, onr own child's finger.s' wound 

 quills. Looking further, tlu^ olii blades, the linen 

 whi;el and the larger woollen and cotton spin- 

 ning wheel were also at hand. We could vouch 

 for them that they were at least half a linudred 

 years old : — old and bruised as they were, they 

 were still so much -i matter of fireside attach- 

 menl, liteially all " hr-ir loom," that some family 

 moving probably to the fiir west or it may be in- 

 to Lowell or some pent up manufacturing village, 

 conhl not leave ihem behind, but must take them 

 along with them. We saw the name of "■Sili'tr" 

 marked upon the artii-les vvhich coiupo.sed the 

 (iiniily liunilure — a name bmiie by a noble spir- 

 iterl fiuiner of our old acquaintance in a neigh- 

 boring town, who in declining age has followed a 

 son to i^Iichigan, where fither, mother and chil- 

 dren are now congregated as among its most en- 

 terprising and even wealihy inhabitants. 



There are families still lel't in New Hampshire 

 of the " Silver'' st;imp, who cannot be made to 

 put aside the old loom and the spinning wheel of 

 a singli: thread: there are ladies whose industri- 

 ous lingers will not lire on useful and substantial 

 l.ibor. And we find plenty for all such to do. 

 Wilne.ss th(^ delicate females at the two Shaker 

 families in New Hanqishire: there fine wooled 

 spinning and maiinfaciuring are carried on under 

 the labor saving system. iVIany threads in the 

 .spinning jenny are (b-awn out instead of the one 

 thre:id : but yesterday at Peverly's we saw beau- 

 tiful fine flannel drawers made to hand at one 

 dollar per pair, not by the Shakers, but by ladies 

 of Canierhury who were taught how to do this 

 nice work by ihe Shid<er ladies' exanqile. 



The iinlustry of our connliy females is such, 

 that, although the woik of iheir mothers li;is been 

 snperseileil by the ma<'.hinery ofliiciories in many 

 di'sirable jioinis, they still "will foster habits o"f 

 lili; which will do no discredit to those who have 

 gone behire ihem. They will look well to their 

 household aflairs — provide wiih their own hands 

 the means of comfort aroninl their own hearths, 

 and make glad by their habits of economy and 

 carefulness the hearts of all such as have cliosen 

 or shall choose them for companions in life. 



long subsisted between the mother of a fiimily 

 and her childri'u, her latter d.iys will be full of 

 comfort. Knowing that tlie iiitentions of all a- 

 roiind her an; good — tlieir conduct wise and ju- 

 dicious, she enjoys the gratification ol' observing 

 the machinery which she basset in motion, work- 

 ing alone, and no longer requiring her gnitling 

 hand. At times she almost imagines that her soul 

 has already passed the confines of earth, and stir 

 veys every thing from a heavenly station.— TAiVrf 

 volume of Prop-essive Education. 



Song. 



Here's a smile for the p.ist with its sunshine and shade 

 For no tear can restore us one joy that's decayed ; 

 E'en an urn. when the sunhght is over it thrown, 

 No more seems the record of sorrow alone ; 

 For the briu'htness that Heav'n hath lovingly shed. 

 Seems to tell us lio«v calm is the sleep of the dead. 



.\ smile, still a smile ! tlio' the flowers which appear 

 On our pathway ol' life may yet cradle a tear; 

 Still the light of your sadness each drop will illume, 

 And its warmth change each grief to the spirit's perfume! 

 'J'heii wli3' should we sorrow', when trladness can shed 

 A light o'er the living, a calm o'er the dead .' 



Old Ace ok FEMAi.ns. — Tranquillity ought 

 to be till' ilistiugiiishing characteristic of "old age ; 

 a tranquillity resulting liom firogressive sel(- 

 alienation, .-ind Internal amelioration. Where 

 this tranquillity exisl.s, it is in itself useful ; useful 

 both as an example and in its immediate influ- 

 ence. The opinions which iu'e expressed are 

 then allowed their fiill weight, and good feelings 

 are widely difi'used. Whei'i perfect liarmonv has 



Cutting Grain, Corn, <fcc. *c. 



Hon. Isaac HtLL: — I noticed an article in your 

 August Visitor on the above subject, writteii bv 

 P.. on the early cutting of small grains, andconi. 

 I think that the culting of straw grains early, 

 hits lieen more sadly neglected, by the majority 

 of our fiiriners, than almost any other business 

 iu the summer season. The directions laid ilow n 

 by P. are just what we would like every farmer 

 to try for himself, that is, to comiuence cutting 

 his rye or wheit when the stalk is yet green, and 

 beline the berry gets hard and dry, ami thus 

 prevent a great waste in harvesting. And be- 

 sides that, the straw is much more valuable when 

 secured early, than when it stands till it is dead 

 ripe before it is cut. 



With regard to early cutting up corn, we be- 

 lieve jnst as P. does, that wlieii the corn be- 

 comes hard, and glazed in the centre of the ker- 

 nel, and while the stalk is yet green, then is- the 

 right time to cut it up. His practice of setting 

 it up against a fence to husk out differs from 

 ours, which must be a heavy job to cut and car- 

 ry it from llie field in that way. And we doubt, 

 too, w hetlier that jiractice would afJbrd much 

 protection to the crop incase of a storm, as most 

 liirruers cannot' husk out the corn until it has 

 cmed and ilrie.l in part. The practice of strip- 

 ping the husk and blades from the stalks must 

 require more lime than most of us farmers can 

 find time for, especially if we have a large crop 

 on hand. It is true if the huge kinds of corn 

 are planted, the stalks will be large, and the cat- 

 tle will not eat them unless they are sliced in a 

 cutting box, which is the way that all corn stalks 

 should be saved, cliafl'ed in a straw cutter, and 

 the cattle will eat all clean if the stalks are cured 

 well. However, we have found with the smaller 

 and earlier kinds of corn, that when cut up and 

 cured well the cattle will eat about all clean, 

 when fed in the manger without being cut. A 

 few of the bills may be left, which will readily 

 tread into the manure heap. The practice of 

 slri|)ping the corn leaves from the stalk may 

 answer at the South, where they raise large 

 crops and large kinds of corn, and where labor 

 is cheaper and " niggers" more plenly than ut 

 the North. 



The way that we have cured our corn for a 

 few years past is this: two of us take five rows 

 through the field, and we cut up and carry our 

 corn on to the middle row, fur the low of slacks ; 

 we then leave one hill standing to stuck around, 

 and thus we cut and carry, taking care to set 

 every handful of .corn heading at the bottom of 

 the slack ; and when the slack is of sufficient 

 size, we take a handful of straw, turn down the 

 tops, and bind it around tight, and the work is 

 done. We have noticed this season corn cut 

 up and stacked iu this way to stand up better 

 than iu any other way. If the groiin.d is wanted 

 for winter grain, then perhaps it may have to be 

 bound in bundles, and carted ofi' aiul stacked in 

 anoilier fielil. Some fiirmers cut it off without 

 binding, and set it up in stacks, and bind the 

 top, lliongh it does not generally stand up so 

 well as it does stacked around a sUmiliug iiill, in 

 the corn field. We are convinced th.it we can 

 cut up, and stack, a field of corn in this way as 

 quick, if not quicker, than in Ihe old way of 

 io|)ping, liiudiiig and slacking; and as lo the 

 economy of culling up, we think there is but 

 feu will question that point. The corn ripens 

 bi'ller, llie stalks wiih the husks are all sweet, 

 bright, if not in season, and if Ihe farmer has 

 not barn room sufficient to stow them, as but 

 few of ns do have, then let them bring them up 

 and stack them around the barn yard, where 

 they will l)e handy to your stables"; and when 

 yon eonunence feeding out, do not throw them 

 oflf' the top of the slack first, but commence at 

 the boltom, and pull out around. As fiist as yoit 

 pull out, of course the slack will settle, and in 



