Colonial Children (1939)

it is the Year 1680 in the English colony of Massachusetts stands the Adams house mother Adams finishes cooking breakfast over blazing logs in the big fireplace just as father Adams comes in carrying two buckets of water swinging from a wooden yoke on his shoulders the fireplace is the center of most household activities breakfast will be Hasty Pudding made of corn meal served in wooden plates called trenches as usual Rebecca Adams and her younger sister Cynthia help their mother they have moved the trestle board up near the fire with a ladle made from a gourd mother dips milk from the homemade wooden bucket mr. Adams is a well-to-do Massachusetts farmer and a devout one Rebecca and Cynthia stand respectfully at their places and brother Jonathan - while father says grace Heavenly Father bless now this food to the good of our bodies that we this day may walk in that path go with us as we work and shelter us below ha amen now that Grace has been said Rebecca Cynthia and Jonathan may be seated and begin their meal Cynthia is proud of her silver cup made by a silversmith of Boston Jonathan's trencher is heaped with good Hasty Pudding made of the meal from their own Indian corn milk is a food important to all especially now in late fall there are no more fresh vegetables the Adams is eat their breakfast in silence children are to speak only when spoken to and father Adams is quiet because his mind is occupied with thoughts of work for the day it is a rule among the colonists to stop eating when only moderately full after breakfast cynthia attends little daniel the only one of the children born in america Jonathan's first job for the day is to make a news flint broom for his mother a stick of red birch has been softened in water and now Jonathan needs only a sharp knife thin strips or splints are carefully peeled back toward the end and folding over each other the remainder of the stick is whittled down to form the handle while Jonathan works mother keeps the fire going additional splints are used to bind those in the broom together mother I finna control you were a good man Jonathan while father chops firewood the children study Jonathan is reading his New England primer he universe is ABC forever will a blockhead big but he who to his books inclined will soon a golden treasure find in Adams fall we sin at all thee thy life to man this book attend see the cat that's playing after slave dude a dog will bite a thief at night in an eagle's flight is out of sight yep Rebecca has come over to see how lessons are progressing but something outside causes her to look up it must be something unusual what is it Jonathan Fox it must be the one that got our chickens last week a fox there's a reward for the one who kills him the Adams long barreled musket is heavy for Jonathan but father is away in the woodlot the Fox may soon be off and jonathan is eager for the reward see mother I shot what a fine big one yes and now he claims about it - yes it's three showing sixpence isn't it father that's right sir here let me take three shillings sixpence one shilling to put aside toward his gun with some left over here is Jonathan's list save for gun one shilling knife one and six Fish Hooks three pence comb three sweetmeats six in the afternoon neighbors arrived at the Adams house good day mistress Adams welcome friends won't you come in she's very kind of you to help me make my fine new quilt it is always a pleasure to help a friend and only rightfully should come for you helped us last spring Oh will you not take off your clothes Cynthia and Polly are always glad to see each other making quilts is tiresome work and mrs. Adams neighbors help her just as she helped them the decorated cloth came from India when Cynthia and Polly are older they too will help make quilts they too will have to spin and weave and sew and make candles and soap just now they play Kratz cradle meanwhile the quilting goes on mrs. Adams and Polly's mother a rubbing colored chalk on a piece of cord this is stretched tightly and now when the string is plucked a straight chalk line is left on the cloth Cynthia and Polly have put aside their game young as they are they have already learned to do useful work on this hand loom Cynthia is making a strip of tape for the tying zand lacings needed for homespun clothing Polly works on a piece of needlework making letters and samples of stitches so the cloth is called a sampler both Polly and Cynthia someday we'll have to make cloth and sheets and towels dresses and suits and bonnets this my sampler here you see what care my mother took of me such work was a part of the early training of these colonial women without whose skilled fingers quilts could not be made hands prepared the wool for the quilt hands made the thread for the quilt and hands guide the needles evening and time for lighting candles homemade candles of towel or wax in the evening as always home life centers around the fire in the big brick fireplace the fire that is kept steadily burning for cooking for warmth and for light father tired from a day of work on his farm sits down for a quiet smoke with pipe tongs he picks up a live amber to light his pipe then he rests contentedly perhaps thinking of the friends he left behind in England six years ago for the women of the household evening does not mean an end of work there is wool to be spun by candle light there is cloth to be woven by candle light woven on the handmade loom woven by tireless hands that have learned both skill and patience Jonathon shells corn to be ground into meal now Rebecca fills the warming pan with hot coals beds are upstairs and the warming pans will make cold beds more comfortable the day comes to a close with father's reading of the scriptures he is my refuge and my fortress my god in him will I trust his truth shall be thy shield and buckler thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night nor the arrow that flieth by day now for the pestilence that walketh in darkness now for the destruction that wasteth at noonday there shall be no evil befall thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling for he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways