USA > Massachusetts > The history of Massachusetts, the commonwealth period. 1775-1820 v. III > Part 22
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In the department of general literature, we may not, per- haps, be able to point to many great names in the galaxy of American writers previous to the opening of the nineteenth century. A cultivated literature, in every nation, is the fruit of its mature age, rather than of its infancy. Thus has it been in all times and among all people. Before literary talent is liberally patronized, a country must have reached the posi- tion which admits of leisure to appreciate the productions of genius, and of wealth to extend to them the hand of encour- agement. Yet the genius of New England was never inac- tive; and, though it is not claimed that our writers excelled the writers of England, of Germany, or of France, their pro- ductions will not suffer in the comparison with those of other lands, especially in comprehensiveness, in effectiveness, and power. Because the "New England Primer " was used in
1 The engravings, by S. Hill, in the Massachusetts Magazine, com- menced in 1789, and continued for several years, were quite respectable ; and some of them, indeed, were in excellent taste. The old American Magazine, published forty years ear- lier, had also some good engravings. Nathaniel Hurd has been named as the first engraver in America, in 1764 ; but this is doubtful. See Felt's Hist. Salem, ii. 81, 82. We are in want of an elaborate history of the fine arts in America; and many cu- rious facts relating to the subject
might be gleaned from the early magazines and periodicals of the country. Dunlap's History of Amer- ican Artists is an interesting work, and contains much valuable matter. Who were the early painters in Mas- sachusetts before Smibert came ? We have excellent portraits of the emi- nent men of the past; but most of them were painted by English artists. Yet there are some which were taken in the state before the year 1700. Dr. Appleton, the sub-librarian of the Massachusetts Historical Society, in- forms me he has such in his possession.
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CHAP. every school, and " Mother Goose's Melodies " were read by V. every child, it must not be inferred that these were our clas- 1781. sics, that there were no text books of a higher order, or that poetry in Massachusetts was wholly neglected.1 If there was a large share of talent which was not much above mediocrity, there were also men of varied endowments and of liberal cul- ture, who gave tone to the manners of society, and fostered a love of the arts and the sciences. Hence, from the close of the French war to the year 1800, the march of improvement was steady and sure.2
Domestic habits were, for the most part, such as had been handed down from father to son. It was a complaint, indeed, against the first settlers of New England, that they were morose and bigoted, and condemned indiscriminately all forms of amusement.
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"These teach that Dancing is a Jezabell, And Barley-break the ready way to Hell ; The Morrice idols, Whitsun-ales, can be But prophane reliques of a Jubilee.
1 For an account of early school books in New England, see Felt's Hist. Salem, i. 436 et seq. Of the New England Primer he says, " In one form or another, it was probably used in the primary schools of New England from its first settlement till within half a century." In the Worces- ter Magazine for May, 1786, appeared an article on " American Literature," which contains a few hints on its prog- ress. " The original performances which have lately appeared in the United States," it says, "are deserv- ing of notice, and are such as must excite very pleasing emotions in eve- ry philanthropic breast. The Me- moirs of the Academy of Arts and Sciences do great honor to the gen- tlemen who compose it, and to the taste of our country. The ' Conquest
of Canaan,' by Mr. Dwight ; ' M'Fin- gal,' supposed by Mr. Trumbull ; the Tragedy of the Patriot Chief; the Poems of Arouet, and a collection of twenty-four poems just published in the Southern States, are instances which prove the prophetic observa- tion of the Bishop of Cloyne to be other than Utopian," &c. Some idea of the popular poetry of those days may be gathered from the recently published work entitled " Songs and Ballads of the American Revolution," by Frank Moore. These were the camp songs sung by the soldiers.
2 Valuable articles on American language and literature were pub- lished in the N. A. Rev. for Sept. and Nov. 1815 and for July and Dec. 1818.
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These, in a zeal t' expresse how much they do The Organs hate, have silenc'd Bagpipes too ; And harmless May poles all are rail'd upon, As if they were the Tow'rs of Babylon." 1
CHAP. V.
1781.
As " honest old Stowe " has observed, however, "if open pas- times are supprest in youth, worse practices within doors are to be feared." 2 "The common people," says Brand, " confined by daily labor, seem to require their proper intervals of relax- ation ; perhaps it is of the highest political utility to encour- age innocent sports and games among them." 3 Hence, if the Puritans erred in carrying to an excess their zeal against pop- ular amusements, Nature would sometimes have her way, and the children would secretly practise what the fathers openly condemned.
Theatrical exhibitions were for a long time prohibited, and all attempts to introduce them were strenuously resisted. The legislature of the province not only refused to license such performances, but the clergy preached against them, as tend- ing to looseness and immorality. It was not, therefore, until after the revolution that the friends of the drama so far suc- ceeded in conquering this prejudice as to venture openly to patronize the theatre ; nor was there a "play house " erected in Boston until 1794.4 Dancing was regarded with similar
1 Randolph's Poems, 1646.
2 Survey of London, ed. 1604.
3 Popular Antiquities, ed. 1777.
4 Minot's Hist. Mass. i. 142 ; Brad- ford, iii. 30. Comp. Felt's Hist. Sa- lem, ii. 41-45 ; 1 M. H. Coll. iii. 255 ; Drake's Hist. Boston, 612, 631, 754, 804 ; Snow's Hist. Boston, 333. This theatre stood at the corner of Federal and Franklin Streets. It was burned in 1798, and rebuilt in the same year. The Haymarket Theatre was built in 1796. A pamphlet entitled " Effects of the Stage on the Manners of a People, and the Propriety of encour- aging and establishing a Virtuous
Theatre," was printed at Boston in 1792. Author, William Haliburton. The pamphlet is curious, and would provoke many a smile if issued at the present day. Another pamphlet, en- titled " The Rights of the Drama," &c., was also published in the same year, by " Philo Dramatis." The first play, by an American author, I have met with, was called " Edwin and Angelina, or the Banditti, an Opera, in three Acts," by E. H. Smith, of Connecticut, printed at New York, in 1796. Probably there were earlier plays. The views of the legislature of Massachusetts on the subject of
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CHAP. abhorrence ; but the young of both sexes, in the country V. towns, would, at " husking parties," in spite of the frowns of 1781. careful guardians, spend an hour or two in tripping to the music of the " fiddle and flute." 1 Nor was it possible to re- press in adventurous boys that love of sport which is as nat- ural as to breathe. Old-fashioned games, played in England before the settlement of this country, found their way across the waters, and still survive. Indeed, a very large number of the popular observances of the old world became incorporated with the customs of the new, far more than many would be apt to imagine ; and the antiquitates vulgares of New England so strikingly resemble those of Old England as to leave no doubt of their common origin.2
theatres, &c., may be gathered from the report of a committee, Jan. 12, 1779, " that a bill ought to be brought in for suppressing theatrical entertain- ments, horse racing, gaming, and such other diversions as are productive of idleness, dissipation, and a general depravity of manners, agreeable to a resolve of Congress of October 12, 1778, recommending the same." Mr. Phillips, of Boston, Mr. Sumner, and Judge Sullivan were appointed for that purpose, who reported a bill, February 10, which was read a sec- ond time February 11, and recom- mitted February 12. The proposi- tion for a theatre, in 1791, was op- posed, in Boston, by Samuel Ad- ams, Benjamin Austin, Jun., Thomas Dawes, Jun., and H. G. Otis, and supported by William Tudor, Charles Jarvis, Perez Morton, and others. Bradford, iii. 31. The " Boston Mu- scum " should not be forgotten, in this connection - the legitimate successor of the Columbian Museum, first es- tablished in 1791, of the New Eng- land Museum, in which this was merged, and of the Boston Museum, opened in 1804, and afterwards trans- ferred to the New England Museum. See Snow's Hist. Boston, 335, 336.
1 " An address to Persons of Fash-
ion, containing some particulars re- lating to Balls, and a few occasional hints concerning Play Houses, Card Tables, &c.," was printed in Boston, in 1767. For further remarks on dancing, see Felt's Hist. Salem, i. 505, 506. Concert Hall is said to have been erected in Boston in 1756, and is still standing at the corner of Court and Hanover Streets. This building was erected by Mr. Stephen Deblois, for the purposes of concerts, dancing, and other entertainments. 1 M. H. Coll. iii. 253; Snow's Hist. Boston, 333.
2 Whoever wishes to investigate this curious subject would do well to consult Brand's Observations on Pop- ular Antiquities, and Strutt's and Aiken's Sports of Great Britain. The coral given to teething children ; the games of " blind man's buff," " see- saw," " hand ball," " hunt the slip- per," "tag," and a variety of others ; divinations with " apple parings," " lady bugs," the " true love knot," &c .; the use of " pancakes " on " fast day ; " "bride favors " and " bride cakes ;" the superstitions on " spill- ing salt," " sneezing," "letters at the candle," the " death watch," &c .; the observance of " April," or " all fools' day ;" many even of our funcral cus-
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With regard to dress, it is said that " gentlemen, in those CHAP. days, wore hats with broad brims, turned up into three cor-
V. ners, with loops at the sides ; long coats, with large pocket 1781. folds and cuffs, and without collars. The buttons were com- monly plated, but sometimes of silver, often as large as a half dollar. Shirts had bosom and wrist ruffles ; and all wore gold or silver shirt buttons at the wrist, united by a link. The waistcoat was long, with large pockets ; and the neckcloth, or scarf, was of fine white linen, or figured stuff, broidered, and the ends hung loosely upon the breast. The breeches were usually close, with silver buckles at the knee. The legs were covered with long gray stockings, which, on holidays, were exchanged for black or white silk. Boots with broad white tops, or shoes with straps and large silver buckles, com- pleted the equipment.
" Ladies wore caps, long, stiff stays, and high-heeled shoes. Their bonnets were of silk or satin, and usually black. Gowns were extremely long-waisted, with tight sleeves. Another fashion was, very short sleeves, with an immense frill at the elbow, leaving the rest of the arm naked. A large, flexible hoop, three or four feet in diameter, was, for some time, quilted into the hem of the gown, making an immense display of the lower person. A long, round cushion, stuffed with cotton or hair, and covered with black crape, was laid across the head, over which the hair was combed back and fastened. It was almost the universal custom, also, for women to wear gold beads - thirty-nine little hollow globes, about the size of a
toms, as tolling the bell on the death of a neighbor; the use of black in mourning ; strewing flowers over the graves of friends, and decking their coffins with the same ; the " bonfires," or " bonefires," so common in revo- lutionary days ; the ringing of bells at nine o'clock, P. M., an imitation of the " curfew ; " the " weather cocks " on church steeples ; our " thanks-
giving day," borrowed from the " har- vest supper ; " the custom of " drink- ing healths," or " pledge, I'll pledge you ;" the " happy new year," the " merry Christmas," et id omne genus, were all derived from our English ancestors, with many more modern customs, which have become quite fashionable. Comp. Felt's Hist. Sa- lem, i. 362, 363.
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MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.
CHAP. pea, hung on a thread, and tied round the neck. Sometimes V. this string would prove false to its trust, -at an assembly,
1781. perhaps, - and then, O, such a time to gather them up before they should be trampled on and ruined ! Working women wore petticoats and half gowns, drawn with a cord round the waist, and neat's leather shoes.1 Women did not go a-shop- ping every day then; there were few shops to go to, and those contained only such articles as were indispensable, and in very limited variety." 2
Such is a crude and somewhat imperfect picture of Massa- chusetts as it was three fourths of a century ago.3 Great
1 The shoe manufacture was early introduced into Lynn; and it is said that, in 1794, 170,000 pair of men's shoes were made annually. Tanners and curriers were quite numerous, and large quantities of leather were manufactured by them. 1 M. H. Coll. iii. 282 ; Lewis's Lynn.
2 Lewis's Lynn, 220, 221.
3 A brief account of several socie- ties and institutions not specifically re- ferred to in the text, may be accept- able here. The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in Massachu- setts was organized April 19, 1792, by a coalition of the late St. John's and Massachusetts Grand Lodges. The names of the several lodges were the First and Second St. John's Lodg- es, Rising Sun, St. Andrew's, Royal Arch, Rising States, Massachusetts, and the African, composed of blacks, or people of color. The institution of masonry is said to have originated in America in 1733, and on the 30th of July of that year the first lodge in Boston was held. The first Grand Master had power from Lord Mon- tague, Grand Master of England, to constitute lodges of Free and Ac- cepted Masons. The progress of masonry was for many years rapid ; a large number of the most respecta- ble citizens were connected with the lodges ; and a spirit of union and brotherly love generally prevailed.
Since the antimasonic excitement of a quarter of a century ago, masonry has revived, and is now flourishing with new vigor in all parts of the United States. The Massachusetts Historical Society was incorporated February 19, 1794, and its first pres- ident was James Sullivan, afterwards governor of Massachusetts. This so- ciety, the oldest for historical pur- poses in the United States, is now in the 64th year of its age, and its pros- pects were never more flattering than at present. Its invaluable collections number 32 vols., and contain a mass of important documents illustrating the early history of New England. Its library, with the addition of the recent munificent bequest of Thomas Dowse, Esq., of Cambridge, numbers at least 10,000 vols .; its rooms, which are open to the public at all times, are fitted up neatly ; and every possible facility, under the rules, is afforded to those who wish to avail themselves of the privilege of access to its treasures. The officers of the society have been among our most distinguished citizens ; and its efforts to preserve the fading memorials of the past will ever entitle it to a grate- ful remembrance. The Irish Chari- table Society was instituted in 1737 ; the Massachusetts Marine Society in 1754; the Massachusetts Charitable Society in 1779; the Medical So-
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changes have since been made; but of these due notice will CHAP. be taken hereafter. There is a disposition in all to look back V.
to the past, and invest it with the garb of fiction and romance. 1781. Its manners are portrayed as of artless simplicity ; its customs are described as peculiarly pleasing. Thus has it been from the time of Solomon, whose advice is, "Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these ? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this." It is no mark of Eccl. 7: wisdom to underrate the present ; and it should be the aim of 10. those who wish to form just views to look at the world, not from the deceptive position with which the imagination is ever inclined to invest the past, but from that broader standpoint which looks at man, not as a beast of burden alone, having a body to feed and a back to clothe, but as an intellectual and a moral being, capable of unlimited advancement in the exalted career which God has marked out for him, and of making con- tinued improvements tending not only to increase his physical comforts, but to open the way for nobler pursuits and purer joys, in the expansion of the intellect and the culture of the heart.
ciety in 1781; the Society of the Cincinnati in 1783; the Boston Epis- copal Charitable Society in 1784; the Humane Society in 1785; the Scotch Charitable Society in 1786 ; the Massachusetts Congregational Society in 1787; the Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Indians and others in North America, in 1787; the Massachusetts Agricul-
tural Society in 1792; the Boston Library Society in 1794 ; and the Massachusetts Charitable Fire Socie- ty in 1794. Most of these societies are still in existence. See Mass. Laws for 1789, 1794, 1795; 1 M. H. Coll. iii. 273-275; Snow's Hist. Boston ; Drake's Hist. Boston ; Hurd's Hist. St. Andrew's Lodge, and the publica- tions of the different societies.
CHAPTER VI.
SHAYS'S REBELLION.
CHAP. VI. SIX years after the inauguration of the new government, and three years from the settlement of the preliminaries of 1786. peace, civil disturbances broke out in Massachusetts, which threatened for a time the utter subversion of law and order, and which were quieted only by the firmness of the chief magistrate and the hearty cooperation of the friends of free- dom. The history of these disturbances tends to show that, in popular tumults, reason is often dethroned, and that the passions of the multitude, when highly exasperated, overleap the barriers of outward restraint, and riot in suicidal and hid- eous excesses. The vast expenses incurred during the war ; the depreciation of the currency, which had long been increas- ing ; the heavy taxation to which all classes had been subject- ed ; the extent of public and private indebtedness ; and the legal efforts made for the collection of claims,1 were the pre- disposing causes of the outbreak referred to ; and the spirit of discord, feeble in its beginnings, was nurtured by dema- gogues, until it ripened into a sturdy and disgraceful rebellion.
1781. So early as 1781, conventions of delegates from different towns began to be held in the sparsely settled western coun- ties, to consult upon public grievances, and seek their redress. " Persons inimical to American independence " are said to
1 In 1784, more than 2000 actions were entered in the county of Wor- cester alone; and in 1785, about
1700. Lincoln's Hist. Worcester, 131 ; Ward's Shrewsbury, 91. See also Pitkin's Statistics of the U. S., 31.
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GATHERING AT NORTHAMPTON.
have been the instigators and abettors of these movements - CHAP. secret foes of the liberties of their country, whose object it VI. was to weaken the government, and spread abroad anarchy 1782. and confusion in the state.1 But a more charitable construc- tion of their motives and conduct might induce the opinion that the hardships incident to all new settlements, and the extraordinary embarrassments under which they were labor- ing, had created an unusual restlessness and jealousy, and awakened suspicions that an unequal share of the expenses of the war would be assessed upon them in their poverty, and that the claims of their creditors would be pressed beyond reasonable bounds while they were unable to meet their demands.
If, however, an apology of this kind may be pleaded with justice for a portion of the disaffected, for others no valid excuse can be offered. Among the latter was Samuel Ely, a disappointed clergyman, lacking in judgment as well as in principle, who had been compelled to relinquish the functions of the ministry, and who abounded in hypocritical professions of piety.2 This man assumed to be the ringleader of the malcontents ; and, through his misrepresentations, a large' number of citizens were persuaded to league with him to ob- struct the regular course of justice.
Their first attempt was made at Northampton ; and for his April. connection with this affair, Ely was arrested and lodged in jail. A. rescue was attempted by his misguided followers, which proved successful ; but three of the rioters were seized and imprisoned.3 A mob next gathered for their release, who
1 Address to the People, 1786,
4; Bradford, ii. 203; Holland's Western Mass. i. 230.
2 He had been settled for some years in Somers, Conn., but was dis- missed by a council, who pronounced him unfit for his calling, on account of his literary and moral disquali-
fications. Bradford, ii. 211; Hol- land's Western Mass. i. 230, 231.
3 These were Capt. Dinsmore,
Lieut. Paul King, and Lieut. P. Bardwell. Holland's Western Mass. i. 231. For an account of the Con- vention at Worcester, April 14, 1782, see Lincoln's Hist. Worcester, 132.
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GATHERING AT HATFIELD.
CHAP. assembled in Hatfield to the number of three hundred. The VI. militia, to the number of twelve hundred, were called out for 1782. the protection of the jail; but General Porter, who com- manded this force, unwisely yielded to the demands of the rioters, and the prisoners were released on their parole of honor - agreeing to deliver up the body of Ely to the sheriff, or, in default thereof, their own bodies, on the order of the General Court.1 This conduct of General Porter was cen- sured by the prudent ; and it admits of little doubt that the Nov. leniency of the Court in pardoning the rioters, which they did shortly after, was the proximate cause of the difficulties which followed, by emboldening the lawless to place upon that le- niency the construction of weakness, which it seemed to war- rant.2 Clemency is, indeed, the best policy in a free govern- ment ; and though it does not invariably follow that "the certainty of punishment is the truest security against crimes," 3 there are cases in which decision and energy are imperatively demanded. Unfortunately for the community, however, there were some who feared that the grounds of complaint would be increased by asserting too strictly the supremacy of the laws ; and a difference of opinion existed even in the legis- lature relative to the measures it would be safest to adopt. There was, likewise, a feeling that the taxes were indeed heavy, and that it was difficult for many in the rural districts, whose resources were limited, and who had little to spare, to meet the demands made upon their purses. Hence it was thought best to satisfy the citizens, if possible, that their rulers were disposed to afford them relief; and the legislature ordered the treasurer of the commonwealth to suspend for a time the executions against collectors.4
1 Minot's Hist. of the Insurrection, 16 ; Holland's Western Mass. i. 232. 2 Minot's Hist. of the Insurrection,
17; Holland's Western Mass. i. 232.
3 Fisher Ames, under the signa-
ture of " Lucius Junius Brutus," in the Independent Chronicle for Oct. 12, 1786, and Works, p. 3, ed. 1809.
4 Bradford, ii. 212, 257.
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CONVENTION AT DEERFIELD.
This, however, was but a temporary check ; for, the very CHAP. next year, a mob assembled in the town of Springfield, to VI. prevent the sessions of the County Court, and, after carousing 1783. May. at a neighboring tavern, and resolving themselves into a gen- eral convention, adjourned to an elm tree near the court house, armed with bludgeons.1 The bell rang for the assembling of the court ; but when the judges appeared, headed by the sher- iff, they were opposed as they endeavored to enter the build- ing. The sheriff remonstrated, but without effect ; and it was only by the intervention of the friends of order that the riot- ers were repulsed.2
The convention at Deerfield, in the fall of this year, was a Sep. 29. more peaceful gathering. Delegates from seven of the towns assembled, to " take into consideration the deplorable state of the county and commonwealth ;" and, professing apprehen- sions of a general bankruptcy, but without presuming to show how it might be prevented, they demanded relief by a division of the county, or the removal of the courts from Springfield to Northampton. There were others, however, entitled to be heard on these points ; and at a subsequent convention, held Oct. 20 in Hatfield, represented by delegates from twenty-seven towns, the subject of the state and national debts was discussed, and, while the people of the county were recommended to acquire by honest industry the requisite money for the payment of their debts, the opinion was expressed that it would be impos- sible to do so while the claims of the government were so imperious, and the demands for an immediate revenue so urgent.3
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