Customs and Fashions in Old New England

								

at the age of nine;" "The Childs new Plaything" (which was a primer);
"Divine Songs in Easy Language;" and "Praise out of the Mouth of Babes;"
"A Particular Account of some Extraordinary Pious Motions and devout
Exercises observed of late in many Children in Siberia." Also accounts
of pious motions of children in Silesia and of Jewish children in
Berlin. One oasis appeared in the desert waste--after the first quarter
of the eighteenth century Puritan children had Mother Goose.
By 1787, in Isaiah Thomas' list of "books Suitable for Children of all
ages," we find less serious books. "Tom Jones Abridged," "Peregrine
Pickle Abridged," "Vice in its Proper Shape," "The Sugar Plumb," "Bag of
Nuts Ready Crack'd," "Jacky Dandy," "History of Billy and Polly
Friendly." Among the "Chapman's Books for the Edification and Amusement
of young Men and Women who are not able to Purchase those of a Higher
Price" are, "The Amours and Adventures of Two English Gentlemen in
Italy," "Fifteen Comforts of Matrimony," "The Lovers Secretary," and
"Laugh and be Fat." Another advertisement of about the same date
contained, among the books for misses, "The Masqued Wedding," "The
Elopement," "The Passionate Lovers," "Sketches of the History and
Importance of the Fair Sex," "Original Love Letters," and "Six Dialogues
of Young Misses Relating to Matrimony;" thus showing that love-stories
were not abhorred by the descendants of the Puritans.
In such an exceptional plantation as New England, a colony peopled not
by the commonplace and average Englishmen of the day, but by men of
special intelligence, and almost universally of good education, it was
inevitable that early and profound attention should be paid to the
establishment of schools. Cotton Mather said in 1685, in his sermon
before the Governor and his Council, "the Youth in this country are
verie Sharp and early Ripe in their Capacities." So quickly had New
England air developed the typical New England traits. And the early
schoolmasters, too, may be thanked for their scholars' early ripeness
and sharpness.
At an early age both girls and boys were sent to dame-schools, where, if
girls were not taught much book-learning, they were carefully instructed
in all housewifely arts. They learned to cook; and to spin and weave and
knit, not only for home wear but for the shops; even little children
could spin coarse tow string and knit coarse socks for shop-keepers.
Fine knitting was well paid for, and was a matter of much pride to the
knitter, and many curious and elaborate stitches were known; the
herring-bone and the fox- and geese-patterns being prime favorites.
Initials were knit into mittens and stockings; one clever young miss of
Shelburne, N. H., could knit the alphabet and a verse of poetry into a
single pair of mittens. Fine embroidery was to New England women and
girls a delight. The Indians at an early day called the English women