Show Portrait of Original D. D A. A R. R S 'S By Frederic Frederk J. J Haskin WASHINGTON WASHINGTON ASHINGTON What manner of or individuals the original dau daughters daugh daugh- h- h teri of or the American Revolution and for that matter the mothers of or tho American Revolution really really real real- ly Jy were has been aa as aaa asa 3 a result of or patient research on the part of or Dr Mary Sumner Benson Benson Benson Ben Ben- son and the faculty of or political science of ot Columbia university It seems highly probable that some somer of r the Daughters of at the American Revolution of to today a might experience experience ex ex- some surprise at the discoveries discoveries dis dis- dis- dis made and revealed in Dr Bensons Benson's study of at women in eighteenth eighteenth eight eight- century America Nothing is more difficult to eradicate than a collection of ot preconceived preconceived preconceived pre pre- conceived notions especially 1 if they have been preconceived by novelists but this study goes to original sources and seems un un- challengeable It tells of the place of the women of early America in literature in law in politics and arid andin andin in the church and what is of es especial especial es- es interest it tells what keen observers thought of ot the tho ladles ladies The work is probably the tho most exhaustive ever done on the tho subject sub sub- Glamour Upset One of ot the tho biggest surprises due for the acceptor of ot certain conceptions is the revelation that the tho women of bleak New England especially of Puritan Boston were regarded by many observers as s shaving shaving having the greatest elegance of at any in the tho country while the southern women notably the Virginian Virginian Virginian Vir Vir- ginian and Carolinian ladies ladles were not far from the uncouth This somehow does not fit in at all with the tales which have been preserved in American literature tales to be sure which were written a n long time after aCter the period they celebrated An estimate of some of ot the Virginia women by a Virginian should be regarded as fairly competent competent competent com com- testimony In 1728 Colonel William Villiam Byrd forbear of Rear Admiral Richard E. E Byrd and of Senator Harry Flood Byrd of Virginia Virginia Virginia Vir Vir- ginia made a sort of at tour of at the Virginia colony He frankly de described described do- do scribed some of or the women ho encountered and was amazed at their crudity although he admits to amusement at the conversation of ot one he encountered who had been a n laundress at the Temple in London Yet Colonel Byrd expressed expressed ex ex- pressed a certain grudging admiration admiration admiration admi admi- ration for tor tho the Virginian women saying they had more energy and resourcefulness than the men and did most of the work Nicholas Cresswell a n young oung Englishman Englishman Englishman En En- who traveled in Virginia during the Revolutionary period found inebriation among the women women women wo wo- wo- wo men and was somewhat shocked because a committeeman's daughter daugh daugh- ter took of offense tense at his failure to kiss her when they were intro intro- Philip Fithian an English tutor who was in charge of the education of the youth at King Carters Carter's great estate in Virginia has left lett memoirs which throw an illumination upon the times He remarks s among many others that it was a mark of unusual virtue for a Virginian lad lady to re refrain refrain retrain re- re frain train from swearing It must be remembered that Fithians Fithian's time was not spent in the tho wilderness where Colonel Byrd encountered some of the women he disliked but in the houses of the tho great colonial planters Several contemporary contemporary contemporary commentators have havo observed observed observed ob ob- ob- ob served the tho lack Jack of at culture in the southern plantations but have at attrIbuted attributed at- at it to the hardship of at the life lito About the only cultural amusement they state was ing Gayety of ot Boston Life Lord Adam Gordon found tho the women of ot Boston and Rhode Island the most beautiful on the continent while de War War- yule ville especially admired the Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut Con Con- girls Dr Alexander Hamilton was in Boston in 1744 and was much impressed especially espe espe- daIly with table conversation which ho he 10 described as lively entertaining entertaining en en- and solid He particularly particularly noted that gossip was re regarded regarded regarded re- re as a mark of ill He found women reading rather widel widely for the period not only the religious works philosophies and histories but such novels and poetry as were available They often orten knew several languages Mrs Schuyler for example beIng bein beins be- be in ins Ing mistress of ot five What That especially surprises is the reports of at the gayety of ot Boston social life ife Assemblies that is large dances were regular affairs affairs affairs af af- af- af fairs and there were concert and picnics and dinners Cooks were imported from London and there was every mark of ot luxury and culture Rebecca Franks an accomplished accomplished pushed Jewess who traveled in colonial America found the New NewYork NewYork NewYork York women had better figures than those of Philadelphia but bad teeth Also she said they lacked ability to entertain except with the aid of at tho the card table and could talk of little but clothes Philadelphia women she said had more moro cleverness in the turn of an eye than New York girls girs in their entire composition She found the New York girls forward in lovemaking and observed that every year must be leap year in New York Later after alter the Revolution Revolution Rev Rev- Abigail Adams Smith found the manners and education of Philadelphia women superior to those of ot Boston It would appear that the pictures pic pie tures turcs which have come down to tous us o of the shrinking and wholly demure Quaker women are aro not wholly accurate Indeed Ann Head Warder Varder an English Quaker Quaker- ess was vas amazed to find the frills of dress of the Pennsylvania Quaker women She also tells of parties and entertainments entertainment which she attended among the Quakers ers apparently with surprise and found young Quaker girls were allowed unexpected freedom with men In 1758 Hannah Callender a Philadelphia went ona on ona a shopping and sightseeing trip to New York and from her memoir memoir me me- moir had a grand time ore More Freedom Than Abroad The general view is that American Amen Ameri can women of the eighteenth century century cen con tury were better off oct in many re respects respects re- re than their sisters in London London London Lon Lon- don Paris and other old capitals Their education in some sections was not always as high as might be desired although Samuel London Loudon Loudon Lou Lou- don who conducted a n sort of circulating circulating cir cm- library in 1774 declared women to be bo his best customers Women were allowed greater freedom in personal conduct and also in the conduct of or business affairs This latter Jatter was especially true of single women and widows wives being expected to leave such matters to their husbands There was a notable exception as to wives in New England how how- ever Wives Vives of oC sea captains handled handled han han- died lar large e business affairs and many of at them made fortunes which the commentators seem to think might not have havo been made had the husbands stayed at home But the whaling voyages lasting as much as three years tended to place business responsibility Inthe in inthe inthe the hands of the wife In the poorer classes women were better better better bet bet- ter treated did less outdoor work vork and were wera better dressed than in Europe Critical Duke Pleased The Due Duc de la Ia Rochefoucauld although critical in some parts of his lila comments agrees that the women everywhere possess In the highest degree tho the domestic virtues virtues virtues vir vir- tues and all others they have more sweetness more goodness at least as much courage but butmore butmore butmore more sensibility than the men He attributed the practice of bundling to pure innocence The Marquis de do was surprised surprised sur sur- priced at the freedom of manners of American women but agreed that they possessed a genuine modesty modest even though Dr Hamilton Hamilton Hamilton Hamil Hamil- ton in discussing the women o of New York said they stared like witches There were notable exceptions to the general backwardness of the southern plantation women Jeffersons Jefferson's daughters were educated educated educated edu edu- Eliza Elim Lucas Pinckney was close to being a scholar and there were others but the general observation observation observation ob ob- ob- ob of contemporaries was that southern women were too busy running and sometimes working on their plantations to devote time to cultural pursuits The good looks of American women women women wo wo- wo- wo men stood in high repute even evenIn evenin evenin In colonial times it appears Few were pock marked not all had bad teeth the contemporaries de de- de clare dare They paid some attention to cleanliness curled their hair daily and liked ed good footwear and the German traveler noted that servants in Philadelphia were as well dressed as aristocratic ladies ladles in Germ Germany n |