Village Life in America 1852-1872 Part 8

1861

_March_ 4, 1861.--President Lincoln was inaugurated to-day.

_March_ 5.--I read the inaugural address aloud to Grandfather this evening. He dwelt with such pathos upon the duty that all, both North and South, owe to the Union, it does not seem as though there could be war!

_April._--We seem to have come to a sad, sad time. The Bible says, "A man's worst foes are those of his own household." The whole United States has been like one great household for many years. "United we stand, divided we fall!" has been our watchword, but some who should have been its best friends have proven false and broken the bond. Men are taking sides, some for the North, some for the South. Hot words and fierce looks have followed, and there has been a storm in the air for a long time.

_April_ 15.--The storm has broken upon us. The Confederates fired on Fort Sumter, just off the coast of South Carolina, and forced her on April 14 to haul down the flag and surrender. President Lincoln has issued a call for 75,000 men and many are volunteering to go all around us. How strange and awful it seems.

_May,_ 1861.--Many of the young men are going from Canandaigua and all the neighboring towns. It seems very patriotic and grand when they are singing, "It is sweet, Oh, 'tis sweet, for one's country to die," and we hear the martial music and see the flags flying and see the recruiting tents on the square and meet men in uniform at every turn and see train loads of the boys in blue going to the front, but it will not seem so grand if we hear they are dead on the battlefield, far from home. A lot of us girls went down to the train and took flowers to the soldiers as they were pa.s.sing through and they cut b.u.t.tons from their coats and gave to us as souvenirs. We have flags on our paper and envelopes, and have all our stationery bordered with red, white and blue. We wear little flag pins for badges and tie our hair with red, white and blue ribbon and have pins and earrings made of the b.u.t.tons the soldiers gave us. We are going to sew for them in our society and get the garments all cut from the older ladies' society. They work every day in one of the rooms of the court house and cut out garments and make them and sc.r.a.pe lint and roll up bandages. They say they will provide us with all the garments we will make. We are going to write notes and enclose them in the garments to cheer up the soldier boys. It does not seem now as though I could give up any one who belonged to me. The girls in our society say that if any of the members do send a soldier to the war they shall have a flag bed quilt, made by the society, and have the girls'

names on the stars.

_May_ 20.--I recited "Scott and the Veteran" to-day at school, and Mary Field recited, "To Drum Beat and Heart Beat a Soldier Marches By"; Anna recited "The Virginia Mother." Every one learns war poems nowadays.

There was a patriotic rally in Bemis Hall last night and a quartette sang, "The Sword of Bunker Hill" and "Dixie" and "John Brown's Body Lies a Mouldering in the Grave," and many other patriotic songs. We have one West Point cadet, Albert M. Murray, who is in the thick of the fight, and Charles S. Coy represents Canandaigua in the navy.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Ontario Female Seminary]

_June,_ 1861.--At the anniversary exercises, Rev. Samuel M. Hopkins of Auburn gave the address. I have graduated from Ontario Female Seminary after a five years course and had the honor of receiving a diploma from the courtly hands of General John A. Granger. I am going to have it framed and handed down to my grandchildren as a memento, not exactly of sleepless nights and midnight vigils, but of rising betimes, at what Anna calls the crack of dawn. She likes that expression better than daybreak. I heard her reciting in the back chamber one morning about 4 o'clock and listened at the door. She was saying in the most nonchalant manner: "Science and literature in England were fast losing all traces of originality, invention was discouraged, research unvalued and the examination of nature proscribed. It seemed to be generally supposed that the treasure acc.u.mulated in the preceding ages was quite sufficient for all national purposes and that the only duty which authors had to perform was to reproduce what had thus been acc.u.mulated, adorned with all the graces of polished style. Tameness and monotony naturally result from a slavish adherence to all arbitrary rules and every branch of literature felt this blighting influence. History, perhaps, was in some degree an exception, for Hume, Robertson and more especially Gibbon, exhibited a spirit of original investigation which found no parallel among their contemporaries." I looked in and asked her where her book was, and she said she left it down stairs. She has "got it" all right, I am sure. We helped decorate the seminary chapel for two days. Our motto was, "Still achieving, still pursuing." Miss Guernsey made most of the letters and Mr. Chubbuck put them up and he hung all the paintings. It was a very warm week. General Granger had to use his palm leaf fan all the time, as well as the rest of us. There were six in our cla.s.s, Mary Field, Lucy Petherick, Kate Lilly, Sarah Clay, Abby Scott and myself.

Abbie Clark would have been in the cla.s.s, but she went to Pittsfield, Ma.s.s., instead. General Granger said to each one of us, "It gives me great pleasure to present you with this diploma," and when he gave Miss Scott hers, as she is from Alabama, he said he wished it might be as a flag of truce between the North and the South, and this sentiment was loudly cheered. General Granger looked so handsome with his black dress suit and ruffled shirt front and all the natural grace which belongs to him. The sheepskin has a picture of the Seminary on it and this inscription: "The Trustees and Faculty of the Ontario Female Seminary hereby certify that __________ has completed the course of study prescribed in this Inst.i.tution, maintained the requisite scholarship and commendable deportment and is therefore admitted to the graduating honors of this Inst.i.tution. President of Board, John A. Granger; Benjamin F. Richards, Edward G. Tyler, Princ.i.p.als." Mr. Morse wrote something for the paper:

"To the Editor of the Repository:

"Dear Sir--June roses, etc., make our loveliest of villages a paradise this week. The constellations are all glorious and the stars of earth far outshine those of the heavens. The lake sh.o.r.e, 'Lovers' Lane,' 'Glen Kitty' and the 'Points' are full of romance and romancers. The yellow moon and the blue waters and the dark green sh.o.r.es and the petrified Indians, whispering stony words at the foot of Genundewah, and Squaw Island sitting on the waves, like an enchanted grove, and 'Whalesback'

all humped up in the East and 'Devil's Lookout' rising over all, made the 'Sleeping Beauty' a silver sea of witchery and love; and in the cottages and palaces we ate the ambrosia and drank the nectar of the sweet G.o.ddesses of this new and golden age.

"I may as well say to you, Mr. Editor, that the Ontario Female Seminary closed yesterday and 'Yours truly' was present at the commencement.

Being a bachelor I shall plead guilty and appeal to the mercy of the Court, if indicted for undue prejudice in favor of the charming young orators. After the report of the Examining Committee, in which the scholarship of the young ladies was not too highly praised, came the Latin Salutatory by Miss Clay, a most beautiful and elegant production (that sentence, sir, applies to both salutatory and salutatorian). The 'Shadows We Cast,' by Miss Field, carried us far into the beautiful fields of nature and art and we saw the dark, or the brilliant shades, which our lives will cast, upon society and history. Then 'Tongues in Trees' began to whisper most bewitchingly, and 'Books in the Running Brooks' were opened, and 'Sermons in Stones' were preached by Miss Richards, and this old bachelor thought if all trees would talk so well, and every brook would babble so musically, and each precious stone would exhort so brilliantly, as they were made to do by the 'enchantress,'

angels and dreams would henceforth be of little consequence; and whether the orator should be called 'Tree of Beauty,' 'Minnehaha' or the 'Kohinoor' is a 'vexata questio.'

"In the evening Mr. Hard.i.c.k, 'our own,' whose hand never touches the piano without making delicious music, and Misses Daggett and Wilson, also 'our own,' and the musical pupils of the Inst.i.tution, gave a concert. 'The Young Volunteer' was imperatively demanded, and this for the third time during the anniversary exercises, and was sung amid thunders of applause, 'Star of the South,' Miss Stella Scott, shining meanwhile in all her radiant beauty. May her glorious light soon rest on a Union that shall never more be broken.--Soberly yours,

A Very Old Bachelor."

_June,_ 1861.--There was a patriotic rally this afternoon on the campus of Canandaigua Academy and we Seminary girls went. They raised a flag on the Academy building. General Granger presided, Dr. Coleman led the choir and they sang "The Star Spangled Banner." Mr. Noah T. Clarke made a stirring speech and Mr. Gideon Granger, James C. Smith and E. M. Morse followed. Canandaigua has already raised over $7,000 for the war. Capt.

Barry drills the Academy boys in military tactics on the campus every day. Men are constantly enlisting. Lester P. Thompson, son of "Father Thompson," among the others.

A young man asked Anna to take a drive to-day, but Grandmother was not willing at first to let her go. She finally gave her consent, after Anna's plea that he was so young and his horse was so gentle. Just as they were ready to start, I heard Anna run upstairs and I heard him say, "What an Anna!" I asked her afterwards what she went for and she said she remembered that she had left the soap in the water.

_June._--Dr. Daggett's war sermon from the 146th Psalm was wonderful.

_December_ 1.--Dr. Carr is dead. He had a stroke of paralysis two weeks ago and for several days he has been unconscious. The choir of our church, of which he was leader for so long, and some of the young people came and stood around his bed and sang, "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." They did not know whether he was conscious or not, but they thought so because the tears ran down his cheeks from his closed eyelids, though he could not speak or move. The funeral was from the church and Dr.

Daggett's text was, "The Beloved Physician."

1862

_January_ 26.--We went to the Baptist Church this evening to hear Rev.

A. H. Lung preach his last sermon before going into the army.

_February_ 17.--Glorious news from the war to-day. Fort Donelson is taken with 1,500 rebels. The right and the North will surely triumph!

_February_ 21.--Our society met at f.a.n.n.y Palmer's this afternoon. I went but did not stay to tea as we were going to Madame Anna Bishop's concert in the evening. The concert was very, very good. Her voice has great scope and she was dressed in the latest stage costume, but it took so much material for her skirt that there was hardly any left for the waist.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "Old Friend Burling", Madame Anna Bishop]

_Washington's Birthday._--Patriotic services were held in the Congregational Church this morning. Madame Anna Bishop sang, and National songs were sung. Hon. James C. Smith read Washington's Farewell Address. In the afternoon a party of twenty-two, young and old, took a ride in the Seminary boat and went to Mr. Paton's on the lake sh.o.r.e road. We carried flags and made it a patriotic occasion. I sat next to Spencer F. Lincoln, a young man from Naples who is studying law in Mr.

Henry Chesebro's office. I never met him before but he told me he had made up his mind to go to the war. It is wonderful that young men who have brilliant prospects before them at home, will offer themselves upon the altar of their country. I have some new patriotic stationery. There is a picture of the flag on the envelope and underneath, "If any one attempts to haul down the American flag shoot him on the spot.-- John A. Dix."

_Sunday, February_ 23.--Everybody came out to church this morning, expecting to hear Madame Anna Bishop sing. She was not there, and an "agent" made a "statement." The audience did not appear particularly edified.

_March_ 4.--John B. Gough lectured in Bemis Hall last night and was entertained by Governor Clark. I told Grandfather that I had an invitation to the lecture and he asked me who from. I told him from Mr.

Noah T. Clarke's brother. He did not make the least objection and I was awfully glad, because he has asked me to the whole course. Wendell Phillips and Horace Greeley, E. H. Chapin and John G. Saxe and Bayard Taylor are expected. John B. Gough's lecture was fine. He can make an audience laugh as much by wagging his coat tails as some men can by talking an hour.

_March_ 26.--I have been up at Laura Chapin's from 10 o'clock in the morning until 10 at night, finishing Jennie Howell's bed quilt, as she is to be married very soon. Almost all of the girls were there. We finished it at 8 p. m. and when we took it off the frames we gave three cheers. Some of the youth of the village came up to inspect our handiwork and see us home. Before we went Julia Phelps sang and played on the guitar and Captain Barry also sang and we all sang together, "O!

Columbia, the gem of the ocean, three cheers for the red, white and blue."

_June_ 19.--Our cousin, Ann Eliza Field, was married to-day to George B.

Bates at her home on Gibson Street. We went and had an elegant time.

Charlie Wheeler made great fun and threw the final shower of rice as they drove away.

_June._--There was great excitement in prayer meeting last night, it seemed to Abbie Clark, Mary Field and me on the back seat where we always sit. Several people have asked us why we sit away back there by old Mrs. Kinney, but we tell them that she sits on the other side of the stove from us and we like the seat, because we have occupied it so long.

I presume we would see less and hear more if we sat in front. To-night just after Mr. Walter Hubbell had made one of his most beautiful prayers and Mr. Cyrus Dixon was praying, a big June bug came zipping into the room and snapped against the wall and the lights and barely escaped several bald heads. Anna kept dodging around in a most startling manner and I expected every moment to see her walk out and take Emma Wheeler with her, for if she is afraid of anything more than dogs it is June bugs. At this crisis the bug flew out and a cat stealthily walked in. We knew that dear Mrs. Taylor was always unpleasantly affected by the sight of cats and we didn't know what would happen if the cat should go near her. The cat very innocently ascended the steps to the desk and as Judge and Mrs. Taylor always sit on the front seat, she couldn't help observing the ambitious animal as it started to a.s.sist Dr. Daggett in conducting the meeting. The result was that Mrs. Taylor just managed to reach the outside door before fainting away. We were glad when the benediction was p.r.o.nounced.

_June._--Anna and I had a serenade last night from the Academy Glee Club, I think, as their voices sounded familiar. We were awakened by the music, about 11 p. m., quite suddenly and I thought I would step across the hall to the front chamber for a match to light the candle. I was only half awake, however, and lost my bearings and stepped off the stairs and rolled or slid to the bottom. The stairs are winding, so I must have performed two or three revolutions before I reached my destination. I jumped up and ran back and found Anna sitting up in bed, laughing. She asked me where I had been and said if I had only told her where I was going she would have gone for me. We decided not to strike a light, but just listen to the singing. Anna said she was glad that the leading tenor did not know how quickly I "tumbled" to the words of his song, "O come my love and be my own, nor longer let me dwell alone," for she thought he would be too much flattered. Grandfather came into the hall and asked if any bones were broken and if he should send for a doctor. We told him we guessed not, we thought we would be all right in the morning. He thought it was Anna who fell down stairs, as he is never looking for such exploits in me. We girls received some verses from the Academy boys, written by Greig Mulligan, under the a.s.sumed name of Simon Snooks. The subject was, "The Poor Unfortunate Academy Boys." We have answered them and now I fear Mrs. Grundy will see them and imagine something serious is going on. But she is mistaken and will find, at the end of the session, our hearts are still in our own possession.

When we were down at Sucker Brook the other afternoon we were watching the water and one of the girls said, "How nice it would be if our lives could run along as smoothly as this stream." I said I thought it would be too monotonous. Laura Chapin said she supposed I would rather have an "eddy" in mine.

We went to the examination at the Academy to-day and to the gymnasium exercises afterwards. Mr. Noah T. Clarke's brother leads them and they do some great feats with their rings and swings and weights and ladders.

We girls can do a few in the bowling alley at the Seminary.

_June._--I visited Eureka Lawrence in Syracuse and we attended commencement at Hamilton College, Clinton, and saw there, James Tunnicliff and Stewart Ellsworth of Penn Yan. I also saw Darius Sackett there among the students and also became acquainted with a very interesting young man from Syracuse, with the cla.s.sic name of Horace Publius Virgilius Bogue. Both of these young men are studying for the ministry. I also saw Henry P. Cook, who used to be one of the Academy boys, and Morris Brown, of Penn Yan. They talk of leaving college and going to the war and so does Darius Sackett.

_July,_ 1862.--The President has called for 300,000 more brave men to fill up the ranks of the fallen. We hear every day of more friends and acquaintances who have volunteered to go.

_August_ 20.--The 126th Regiment, just organized, was mustered into service at Camp Swift, Geneva. Those that I know who belong to it are Colonel E. S. Sherrill, Lieutenant Colonel James M. Bull, Captain Charles A. Richardson, Captain Charles M. Wheeler, Captain Ten Eyck Munson, Captain Orin G. Herendeen, Surgeon Dr. Charles S. Hoyt, Hospital Steward Henry T. Antes, First Lieutenant Charles Gage, Second Lieutenant Spencer F. Lincoln, First Sergeant Morris Brown, Corporal Hollister N.

Grimes, Privates Darius Sackett, Henry Willson, Oliver Castle, William Lamport.

Dr. Hoyt wrote home: "G.o.d bless the dear ones we leave behind; and while you try to perform the duties you owe to each other, we will try to perform ours."

We saw by the papers that the volunteers of the regiment before leaving camp at Geneva allotted over $15,000 of their monthly pay to their families and friends at home. One soldier sent this telegram to his wife, as the regiment started for the front: "G.o.d bless you. Hail Columbia. Kiss the baby. Write soon." A volume in ten words.

_August._--The New York State S. S. convention is convened here and the meetings are most interesting. They were held in our church and lasted three days. A Mr. Hart, from New York, led the singing and Mr. Ralph Wells was Moderator. Mr. Noah T. Clarke was in his element all through the meetings. Mr. Pardee gave some fine blackboard exercises. During the last afternoon Mr. Tousley was wheeled into the church, in his invalid chair, and said a few words, which thrilled every one. So much tenderness, mingled with his old time enthusiasm and love for the cause.

It is the last time probably that his voice will ever be heard in public. They closed the grand meeting with the hymn beginning: