Show A Boston School Girl in 1771 She had few amusements compared with the manifold pleasures and holidays hat children have nowadays She saw the artillery company drill on training day when they were entertained genteelly gen-teelly at Mr Handcocks on cakes and wine she went each week to the sober Thursday lecture She had one holiday which the revolution struck from our calendar the Kings Coronation day celebrated by beat of drum discharge of artillery and burning of fireworks She sometimes had the pleasure of attending a funeral And when she was 12 years old she came out became a miss in her teensand went to a succession of little routs or parties to which only yeung maids cl her own age were invited no rough Boston boys She has left several prim and quaint descriptions of these parties Here is one 1 have now the pleasure to give you the result viz a very genteel well regulated reg-ulated assembly which we had at Mr Soleys last evening Miss Soley being mistress of the ceremony Miss Soley desired me to assist Miss Hannah in making mak-ing out a list of guests which I did sometime since I wrote all the invita tion cards There was a large company assembled in a handsome large upper room at the new end of tno house We lad two fiddles and 1 had the honor to open the diversion of the evening in a minuet with Miss Soley cc We had a very agreeable evening from 5 to 10 oclock For variety we wood a widow hunted the whistle threaded the needle and while the company was collecting lecting we diverted ourselves with play lair of pawns no rudeness mamma I assure you Aunt Deming desires you would particularly observe that the elderly part of tne company were spec ators only they mixa not in cipher of the above descnbd scenes I was dressed in my yellow coat black bib apron black feathers on my head my past comb all my past garnet mar quesett jet pins together with my silver sil-ver plume my loket rings black yards of blue ribbon black bluQ is high taste striped tucker ruffels not my best my silk shoes completed my dress Let me show from her entries her diligence dili-gence and industryand compare it with the work ot a week of any girl of 13 in a corresponding station of life nowadays 1 I have read my Bible every day this week and wrote ever day save one I have spun thirty knots of linning yarn and partly new footed a pair of stockings for Lucinda read a part of the pilgrims progress coppied a part of my text jour lal that if f live a few years longer I maybe may-be able to understand it for Aunt sais that to her the contents as I first marked collar round my neck black mits and them are an impenetrable secret playd some tuckd a great deal laughd enough and I tell Aunt it is all human nature if not human reason Aunt says I have been a very good girl today about my work however I think this days work may be called apiece a-piece meal for in the first place I sewed on the bosom of uncles shirt mended two pair of gloves mended for the wash two handkerchiefs one cambric sewed on half a border alawii apron of aunts read part of the 21st chapter of Exodus and a story in the Mothers Gift The Atlantic |