The memorial history of Boston : including Suffolk County, Massachusetts. 1630-1880, Vol. IV, Part 3

Author: Winsor, Justin, 1831-1897, ed; Jewett, C. F. (Clarence F.), publisher
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Boston : Osgood
Number of Pages: 760

USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > The memorial history of Boston : including Suffolk County, Massachusetts. 1630-1880, Vol. IV > Part 3

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Property was now so generally diffused that the law limiting the suffrage to those holding goods to the amount of $200 was scarcely felt as a griev- ance. It is worthy of notice that in an appeal to electors in 1802 the Centinel recites the statute, not as restrictive, but as making the responsi- bility for good government well nigh universal. "We ask, What free citizen who has any habits of industry has not this property? Not one perhaps in thirty ; for he must be poor indeed, and indolent to a proverb, whose whole effects will not be valued at this sum." No wonder that strangers enjoyed a visit to Boston during those halcyon days. The place was thoroughly prosperous, and its distinctive characteristics and local type of manners were seen at their best. Few were troubled by a vision of the time so soon to come, when public soup-kitchens must be opened, and a crowd of sailors, bearing the flag at half-mast, would visit the governor to demand bread.

Social gossip is always pleasantest when animated by feminine intelli- gence, and I feel sure that the reader will esteem it a privilege to look at

1 " A curious machine has lately been ad- vertised which will churn, scrape potatoes, rock a cradle, and darn stockings! However curious and useful this may appear, there is another ma- chine (old invention) which not only performs all these things, but even more, -it enables us to

OBTAIN them! This last machine is in the form of a lottery-wheel; and if any dispute its superiority over the new invention, let them pur- chase a TICKET and try the experiment."- Columbian Centinel, April 13, 1802.

VOL. IV. - 3.

A. C. C. H. LIBRARY SOUTH BOSTON MASS

THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.

some of the gayeties of Boston through the eyes of a gifted lady, from whose letters I am permitted to make the following extracts : -

"Jan. 2, 1807. In the regions of fashion dancing still continues the rage. Private balls are numerous, and little cotillon parties occur every week. The dancing disease having gradually ascended till it reached the middle-aged, now begins to descend on the other side of the hill, and attacks the old. At a late party Mrs. - and Mrs. - danced cotillons. ... The public balls were quite neglected, except the last, which, being the first of January, was crowded and brilliant, - though not, say the fashionables, very genteel. The Theatre begins to be in vogue, because one Mrs. Hanley is the subject of discussion and dispute in every circle, being pronounced by some people of taste the most accomplished actress that ever trod the stage, and by others of equal taste as impudent, affected, and intolerable."

"Feb. 12, 1807. "The night before last, as my cold was better, I ventured to Mrs. James Perkins's, who gave a ball to more than two hundred people. The company though large was not mixed, but consisted of all the respectable people in town, with their children, and in some cases grandchildren. It was very pleasant, well conducted, and perfectly satisfactory to all tastes. They had dancing for the young, cards and conversation for the old, and for those who love eating, an excellent collation of solid good things in the side-board style. If it were not too much in Colonel Caustic's vein, I should say that there were very few handsome women there, that the young ladies were some of them too much caricatured in their dress, and that the beaux were not so gallant as those of the old school. But we know that a prospect appears different when seen from different eminences ; so the fault may be in my situation, not in the objects I saw."

"Nov. 24, 1809. Notwithstanding the gloom of our political horizon, the spirit of gayety seems to be awake among us. We seem determined to imitate our present allies and future masters by dancing away our cares. Mr. Samuel Welles's ball was splendid and tasteful ; it was honored by the presence of the most brilliant collection of beauties that has appeared in public for many years. The ladies were dressed with much taste ; the degree of light was adjusted with happy skill to suit their complexions. Trans- parent paintings, and lamps decorated with flowers whose bright hues were reflected from mirrors, gave lustre to the scene. The supper was highly elegant ; the table was covered with the luxuries of every clime and every season. Summer was robbed of its flowers and autumn of its fruits to embellish this winter fête. Fine peaches blushing with the glow of September, and a variety of melons, were preserved with great care and expense for this gallant occasion. The Turkish band in their elegant costume shared the honors of the night, and divided with the ladies the tribute of approbation. The grace of Peter in playing the cymbals and of Mrs. - in dancing cotillons re- ceived equal applause. Mr. Welles acquitted himself with great propriety, and all went off with éclat, except the toasts, which were rather flat. The gentlemen were not prepared to be either witty or sentimental, and impromptus suit the genius of the French better than that of the English or their American descendants. Mr. Otis alone was happy on this occasion ; his wit is ever ready. Some things a little novel distinguished this fête, -such as a song in falsetto by Mr. Welles's servant, whether tender or humorous nobody could tell, as it was Italian ; but we are to conclude the latter, since it made everybody laugh. Another novelty was our friend S-, acting as manager with a chapeau bras under one arm, flirting a lady's fan, picking up her

SOCIAL LIFE IN BOSTON.

handkerchief, and presiding at supper. In this new character he, however, acquitted himself well, except for a little mistake which defeated the gallantry of Mr. Welles in one of his arrangements. The tables, which were laid to accommodate three hundred persons, were ornamented with a profusion of flowers. Besides the natural ones, large vases were filled with the most beautiful artificial flowers that could be procured, con- sisting of bouquets, wreaths, etc. After supper the ladies were requested to select these flowers and wear them. It was intended as a sort of compliment, and to pre- serve the memory of the evening a little longer. As soon as this request was made, some very pretty girls began to ornament themselves with apple-blossoms, roses, etc., when S-, who thought the natural flowers alone could be meant, called out in his own style, 'Look here now, this will never do !' Finding his exclamation not attended to, he jumped up, 'By George, this is not right !' and replaced the vase on the pyramid. This checked the whole business, and Mr. Welles had the mortification of seeing the flowers which he had selected as ornaments for so many fair damsels left for the servants, and poor S- got heartily laughed at."

A party given for Miss Buckminster, by Mr. and Mrs. Isaac P. Davis, is described in the same letter : -

"We had our usual circle, with the addition of the Miss Storers and one or two others. Some of the scenes would have amused you ; but they would lose their spirit on paper. A sortie of the fair Miss - soon after the entrance of the Reverend Dr. --- , and a dialogue between him and the same lady, and another with Mr. Buck- minster, were quite original. Mr. Davis invited - (an English gentleman then residing in Boston), for which his wife scolded him, and I seconded her ; but he said the gentleman was sick and could not come. However, in the middle of the evening he lounged in. ... One thing he would do, in spite of all the cold monosyllables with which his observations were received, and that was talk to me. Although I never saw him but once before, and never was introduced to him, he walked across Mrs. D.'s large room, and finding no vacant chair stood up before me, and insisted upon know- ing my opinion of a variety of characters and books about which he conversed very fluently, - though, I thought, very superficially. He embellished his observations with passages given in such a manner that, if remembered, they might pass for quota- tions ; if not, they would be considered as bright flashes of his own genius. The most striking thing to me in his conversation was the address with which he practised this art. He appears, however, to have studied human nature with some success ; he is, I suspect, more profound in the knowledge of the heart than any other science, and flatters most dexterously. The confident expectation he seemed to have of making me one of his warm admirers provoked me, and I was very glad when he had exhausted the stock of materials which he had evidently got up for the occasion. I had some conversation with Mr. Buckminster and William Tudor, which I enjoyed more highly. Dr. - also attacked me upon the orthodoxy of my sentiments. I told him that as he did not know my sentiments, it was rather an unfair attack. However, if it was being too orthodox to believe that faith as well as good works were necessary, and that we should not rest entirely on them, but on the merits of our Saviour, for eternal happiness, and that the aid of God's Holy Spirit is necessary to enable us to resist temptation, I must plead guilty. I added that it had become the fashion to charge upon all who believed these serious truths the extravagant opinions of Hopkinsians

THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.

and Methodists. The good Doctor then made some distinction rather too nice for ' my poor head,' as Sir Hugh says, which not perfectly understanding I could only answer by asking a rather simple though serious question ; and this the Doctor not being prepared to answer, he cut short the argument by walking away."

Thus the forms of social life were continued in Boston, while the Em- bargo filled the town with sullen rage, and the passage of the Enforcing Act caused a pretty general expression of the opinion that the end must come either in despotism or civil war. Of the deplorable consequences of these measures, and of the war with England which succeeded them, it is not my province to speak.1 But I cannot deny my readers a glance at the happy days which succeeded these events, and this they shall take through the eyes of a young lady in her teens, - from whose diary I am permitted to copy. On the evening of Sunday, Feb. 12, 1815, the writer describes a social meeting which had just taken place at the house of her parents. Noah Webster the lexicographer, Judge Dawes, then of the Municipal Court, and Mr. Wainwright (afterwards Bishop Wainwright) were the callers. When such men met, the distressing topic of the time was not to be avoided. The chances of peace were discussed- and - rediscussed, till at last it was agreed with sad unanimity that no prospect of an end to the war with England was to be discerned. What happened the next day shall be told in the words of the contemporary record : -

" MONDAY, February 13, 1815. - After breakfast all the bells began to ring. I asked mamma what it meant, and she said that she supposed it must be a town- meeting. Suddenly --- burst into the room, exclaiming, 'Do you know what the bells are ringing for? Peace ! Peace ! ! Peace ! !! ' We thought her out of her sen- ses, and papa went out to learn the truth. He soon returned and told us that it was indeed true, and that the whole town was in an uproar about it. We felt that we could not stay at home; so we ordered the sleigh and set forth. First we went through Cornhill, then past the Common, and through the main street down to the North End. The streets were crowded : in State Street you might have walked upon the people's heads. Almost every house had a flag on it, and in some places they were strung across the streets. We then rode again over the town, and met several companies of soldiers. In the main street we met a company followed by three sleds, each drawn by fifteen horses. A man was in the front of each, with the word Peace printed in large capitals on his hat. These sleds were full of sailors who, just as they came up, gave a most tremendous huzza, which was echoed by the immense crowd about us. The ladies were running about the streets as if they did not know what they were doing ; the gentlemen were shaking hands and wishing each other joy. All this time bells. were ringing, cannons firing, and drums beating. I never saw such a scene. The joy of the poorer classes, who had suffered so much, was quite affect- ing. When my father came home he said that the gentlemen had concluded to defer the public celebration, illumination, etc., until official accounts were received from Washington.

: " February 23, 1815. - The Oratorio in celebration of peace was performed yester- . 1 [See the chapters by Gen. Palfrey and Mr. Lodge .- ED.]

SOCIAL LIFE IN BOSTON.

day morning at the Stone Chapel. We obtained seats near the altar, and were joined by Mrs. S. G. Perkins and her two daughters. The church was crowded; and the presence of several British officers in full uniform gave ocular denionstration that peace had come. After the services we went to the balcony of the house of Mrs. Lowell, senior, in Common Street, to see the procession. Representatives of all the trades were drawn on sleds, with appropriate insignia, and carrying their tools. The brick-layers were building a house ; they broke their bricks and worked busily. The carpenters were erecting a Temple of Peace. The printers struck off hand-bills an- nouncing 'Peace !' and threw them among the crowd. The bakers, hat- Evening Gazette Office, ters, paper-makers, and others had Braten, .Monday, 10, s.M. The following more highly important handboll has just been issued from the Latrines press We deem I duty that we owe que Friends and the Public to start in the prompt spread of the Glerque Neve. each their insignia. At six o'clock in the evening we drove in the sleigh Treaty of PEACE signed and arrived. over the town to see the illuminations CONTINHA Office. Feb. 15, 1815, 8 o'slock in the morning. WE have this istant received in T'hirty-twa bears from New York the following of all the public edifices and of many Great and Happy News ! FOR THE PUBLIO. private houses. The fireworks con- sisted of rockets thrown from the roof To BENJAMIN RUSSELL, Eng. Centinel. Office, Boston. Venloh. Frb. 11. 1815-Saturday Evening, 10 o'clock. of the State House, which was deco- rated with transparencies. On each I HASTEN to acquaint yon. for the information of the Public, of the arrival here this afternoon of H. Br. M. sloop of war Fororte, in which has come pas-, A Treaty of Peace senger Me Cannous American Messenger, having in his possession side of the pediment was a pine-tree, and a star in the centre all formed of Between this Country and Great Britain, signed on the 26th December last. Mr Baker also is on board, as Agent for the British Government, the same who was formerly Charge des Afaire bere. fireworks ; and as the star exploded the word ' Peace ' appeared. The cel- Mr Carroit reached was at eight o'clock this evening. He abewed to a friend of mine, who is acquainted with tum, the pacquel containing the Treaty, and a I norden newspaper of the last date of December, announcing the signing of the Treaty ebration passed off without accident, and was highly successful. It depenile, however, as my friend observed, upon the act of the Prendest to suspend hostilities on this side.

" February 24. - Last evening we went to Concert Hall to attend the I have undertaken to send you this by Express the ruler engaging to deliver it by Fight o'clock on Monday morning. The expense ense will be 223 dollars :-- If you can collect so much to indemnify me I will thank you to do so. Peace Ball. I had some hesitation I om with respect, Sir, your obedient servant, JONATHAN GOODHUE. about going to a public ball, but the occasion overcame my scruples. My We must beomil. febcellule our country on Inis auspicious news, which may the school of as theny dress was a sheer dotted muslin skirt, PEACE EXTRA.1 trimmed with three rows of plaited white satin ribbon an inch wide. The bodice of white satin was also trimmed with the same ribbon. I wore white lace round the neck, a bouquet, gold ornaments, chain, etc. My hair was arranged in braids, bandeau, and curls. The building was illuminated within and without, and was decorated with flags and flowers ; the effect was beautiful. The band, stationed in a balcony above, was playing as we entered. A platform sur- rounded the floor of the hall, and upon this we secured seats with Mrs. R. Sullivan and Mrs. S. G. Perkins and her daughters ; we had much amusement in observing the

The gentleman left London the 2d Jan. The Transit had sailed previously from a port on the Continent. This city to in a perfect uproar of joy, shoute, maminations, &c. &c.

1 [We are obliged to Colonel W. W. Clapp for permission to copy this little broadside, some- . what larger than our fac-simile, which made the announcement of peace. Goodhue was an emi- nent merchant of New York; and the express had come through in the incredibly short space of thirty-two hours. Josiah Quincy, who was at this time a member of the Massachusetts Senate, moved that morning resolutions of thanksgiving; and was made chairman of the committee for the celebration, which was fixed to be made on

Washington's birthday, as described in the diary quoted in the text, and which included a dinner at the Exchange Coffee-House, at which Harri- son Gray Otis presided. (Edmund Quincy's Life of Josiah Quincy, 360.) The victory of Jackson at New Orleans, gained before news of the treaty reached him, was not known in Boston until a fortnight later, and the Legislature passed their vote of thanks to the victorious general Feb. 28. See Bradford's History of Massachusetts, iii. 228; Barry's Massachusetts, iii. 420. - ED.]

THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.

company. Several British officers in .full uniform were actively employed in flirting and dancing, not in the most graceful manner : they seemed favorite partners among the young ladies. The hall being built chiefly for a ball-room, the floor had a spring- ing motion I never saw equalled. I danced several cotillons, contrary to my expecta- tion, as I was acquainted with few of the beaux ; and towards the end of the evening Colonel Sumner, one of the managers, requested my hand in a contre-dance. To dance with a manager was a distinction ; he could place his partner at the head of any contre-dance he selected. The Colonel, who was a tall man, and had something of flourish in his manner, led me through all the sets just formed to the further end of the hall, where we placed ourselves at the head of a dance, and went down it with great animation. We then left our associates to perform the walking part of the figure at their leisure. This was probably not much to their satisfaction ; but the manager must be obeyed. I was escorted back to my party, and after supper returned home, having passed a most amusing evening."

Further on in this diary it is noted that the excitement upon the resto- ration of peace by no means subsided with the celebration; and that Mr. Channing actually preached a sermon to remind his hearers that, though peace had come, there would remain an amount of evil quite sufficient to encourage the virtues of self-denial and forbearance.

The limits to which I am confined compel the omission of much which is illustrative of the subject, and a few remarks of a general character must conclude the chapter. Social life in the town of Boston, during the last forty years of its existence, was affected by the rapid expansion of thought which characterized the time. New beliefs refused to do courtesy to re- spectable customs, and those who had a position to maintain must be alert to deal with them as they appeared. “ It is our lot to have been born in an age of tremendous revolution," exclaimed the sensitive Buckminster, " and the world is yet covered with the wrecks of its ancient glory, especially of its literary renown." The authoritative barriers of thought had indeed been carried, and sober men had a natural anxiety about what might follow. It was impossible for the wisest to foresee the conservatism and patience which have been characteristic of American democracy. The advent of a national literature was delayed, because every intellectual man seemed to be wanted for some active function in a State where so many alarming elements were to be found. The best work was to be done in directing, if not in opposing, the new forces that were born into the world. But the good literature which our city has contributed to the present century has its roots in the old town. The seed from which it developed was faithfully sown by the pulpit, as well as by contributions to the newspapers from such men as Fisher Ames, Benjamin Austin, John Lowell, and others who were fully their peers. The standard of morals recognized in the town was in some respects different from our own. Justice was more conspicuous than humanity in the treat- ment of offenders. Executions were not only public, but were accompanied by a ceremonial which was meant to be impressive, but which we should

SOCIAL LIFE IN BOSTON.

not hesitate to call cruel and offensive.1 Four pirates, who were executed in 1818 in the presence of twenty thousand spectators, were the conspic- uous objects in a procession which moved through the principal streets of the town and over a route previously advertised, in order that no citizen might lose the gratification of the wretched spectacle. Social penalties, always important aids to good living, were administered under rules some- what different from those which now obtain. Drunkenness did not con- note the vices of character with which it is now associated. Scenes were occasionally witnessed at the tables of good and honorable gentlemen which would now be impossible among those to whom these adjectives could apply. A degree of license was permitted to men in their relations with women of an inferior caste; but the moment the conventional limit was exceeded a wholesome public opinion outlawed the transgressor. " A man may repent, and God may forgive him; but his fellow-sinners never will !" bitterly exclaimed one who had felt the ostracism of his generation for an offence of this nature. The speaker was a man of large wealth, much of which was left for public uses. Offenders to-day, whose financial posi- tion is so favorable, need not despair of obtaining condonement. The plainness or coarseness of speech which was permitted among our ancestors had little bearing upon morals. We are not called upon to assume airs of superiority because Judge Parsons thought Tom Jones a suitable book to present to a lady, or because the most courtly of Moderators convulsed a town-meeting with a jest of which these types can furnish no adumbration. If either of these excellent gentlemen could visit their descendants, they would be startled at our tolerance of customs which would seem to them in the highest degree objectionable.

The gradual extinction of that conception of the clergy which separated them as a caste pledged to austerities which their parishioners were not expected to imitate, has in many ways raised the standards of right living. Christian gentlemen, who saw no harm in taking their families to witness the performance of Shakespeare's plays, would have been greatly shocked had their ministers assumed the same privilege. But this arbitrary separa- tion in matters innocent or indifferent was too easily enlarged to excuse laxities which touched the foundation of morals. Few self-respecting men at present feel that such relaxations as they may temperately enjoy are to be condemned in their ministers ; and the converse of the proposition, which requires from laymen the purity of life and devotion to high ends which characterize the clergy, must tend to become equally evident. It is only upon a superficial view that we can regard the beneficent influence of the sacred profession upon social life in the old town as greater than it is at present. No doubt it was different, and more easily to be measured ; no . doubt that as authoritative expounders of theology the influence of the clergy has been steadily upon the wane: but if the conspicuous leadership

1 [The records of the Navy Yard, for instance, show that it was customary on such occasions to suspend work. - ED.]

THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.

of our religious teachers has been lessened, their service in the ranks has become more important. The growth of the community and the complex- ities of modern life have brought with them temptations of which our ancestors knew little; but we should be much worse off than we are if there had been any real decline in the moralizing influence of our min- isters in secular affairs. And because this influence is now subtile and unseen, and brings no special honor with its exercise, it should be acknowl- edged by those who know its value in strengthening the moral fibre of the community.

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The memorial history of Boston : including Suffolk County, Massachusetts. 1630-1880, Vol. IV, Part 3

Author: Winsor, Justin, 1831-1897, ed; Jewett, C. F. (Clarence F.), publisher Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Boston : Osgood Number of Pages: 760

Author: Winsor, Justin, 1831-1897, ed; Jewett, C. F. (Clarence F.), publisher
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Boston : Osgood
Number of Pages: 760