Womans Life in Colonial Days | Page 2

to the late Sylvia Brady Holliday,
whose untiring investigations of the subject while a student under him
contributed much to this book.
C.H.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
--COLONIAL WOMAN AND RELIGION
I. The Spirit of Woman--The Suffering of Women--The Era of
Adventure--Privation and Death in the First Colonial
Days--Descriptions by Prince, Bradford, Johnson, etc.--Early Concord.
II. Woman and Her Religion--Its Unyielding Quality--Its Repressive
Effect on Woman--Wigglesworth's _Day of Doom_--What It Taught
Woman--Necessity of Early Baptism--Edward's _Eternity of Hell
Torment_--_Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God_--Effect on
Womanhood--Personal Devils--Dangers of Earthly Love--God's
Sudden Punishments.
III. Inherited Nervousness--Fears in Childhood--Theological Precocity.
IV. Woman's Day of Rest--Sabbath Rules and Customs--A Typical
Sabbath.
V. Religion and Woman's Foibles--Religious Regulations--Effect on
Dress--Women's Singing in Church--Southern Opinion of Northern
Severity--Effect of Feminine Repression.
VI. Woman's Comfort in Religion--An Intolerant Era--Religious
Gatherings for Women--Formal Meetings with Mrs.

Hutchinson--Causes of Complaint--Meetings of Quaker Women.
VII. Female Rebellion--The Antinomians--Activities of Anne
Hutchinson--Her Doctrines--Her Banishment--Emotional
Starvation--Dread of Heresy--Anne Hutchinson's Death.
VIII. Woman and Witchcraft--Universal Belief in Witchcraft--Signs of
Witchcraft--Causes of the Belief--Lack of Recreation--Origin of
Witchcraft Mania--Echoes from the Trials--Waning of the Mania.
IX. Religion Outside of New England--First Church in
Virginia--Southern Strictness--Woman's Religious
Testimony--Religious Sanity--The Dutch Church--General
Conclusions.
CHAPTER II
--COLONIAL WOMAN AND EDUCATION
I. Feminine Ignorance--Reasons--The Evidence in Court
Records--Dame's Schools--School Curriculum--Training in Home
Duties.
II. Woman's Education in the South--Jefferson's Advice--Private
Tutors--General Interest in Education--Provision in Wills.
III. Brilliant Exceptions to Female Ignorance--Southern and Northern
Women Contrasted--Unusual Studies for Women--Eliza
Pinckney--Jane Turell--Abigail Adams.
IV. Practical Education--Abigail Adams' Opinion--Importance of
Bookkeeping--Franklin's Advice.
V. Educational Frills--Female Seminaries--Moravian
Schools--Dancing--Etiquette--Rules for Eating--Mechanical Arts
Toward Uprightness--Complaints of Educational Poverty--Fancy
Sewing--General Conclusions.

CHAPTER III
--COLONIAL WOMAN AND THE HOME
I. Charm of the Colonial Home--Lack of Counter Attractions--Neither
Saints nor Sinners in the Home.
II. Domestic Love and Confidence--The Winthrop Love
Letters--Edwards' Rhapsody--Further Examples--Descriptions of Home
Life--Mrs. Washington and Mrs. Hamilton at Home.
III. Domestic Toil and Strain--South _vs._ North--Lack of
Conveniences--Silver and Linen--Colonial Cooking--Cooking
Utensils--Specimen Meals--Home Manufactures.
IV. Domestic Pride--Effect of Anti-British Sentiment--Spinning
Circles--Dress-Making.
V. Special Domestic Tasks--Supplying
Necessities--Candles--Soap--Herbs --Neighborly Co-operation--Social
"Bees."
VI. The Size of the Family--Large Families an Asset--Astonishing
Examples--Infant Death-Rate--Children as Workers.
VII. Indian Attacks--Suffering of Captive Women--Mary Rowlandson's
Account--Returning the Kidnapped.
VIII. Parental Training--Co-operation Between Parents--Cotton Mather
as Disciplinarian--Sewall's Methods--Eliza Pinckney's
Motherliness--New York Mothers--Abigail Adams to Her Son.
IX. Tributes to Colonial Mothers--Judge Sewall's Noble Words--Other
Specimens of Praise--John Lawson's Views--Woman's Strengthening
Influence.
X. Interest in the Home--Franklin's Interest--Evidence from
Jefferson--Sewall's Affection--Washington's Relaxation--John Adams

with the Children--Examples of Considerateness--Mention of Gifts.
XI. Woman's Sphere--Opposition to Broader Activities--A Sad
Example--Opinions of Colonial Leaders--Woman's Contentment with
Her Sphere--Woman's Helpfulness--Distress of Mrs. Benedict Arnold.
XII. Women in Business--Husbands' Confidence in Wives'
Shrewdness--Evidence from Franklin--Abigail Adams as
Manager--General Conclusions.
CHAPTER IV
--COLONIAL WOMAN AND DRESS
I. Dress Regulation by Law--Magistrate _vs._ Women--Fines.
II. Contemporary Descriptions of Dress--Effect of Wealth and
Travel--Madame Knight's Descriptions--Testimony by Sewall, Franklin,
Abigail Adams.
III. Raillery and Scolding--Nathaniel Ward on Woman's
Costume--Newspaper Comments--Advertisement of _Hoop
Petticoats_--Evidence on the Size of Hoops--Hair-Dressing--Feminine
Replies to Raillery.
IV. Extravagance in Dress--Chastellux's Opinion--Evidence from
Account Books--Children's Dress--Fashions in Philadelphia and New
York--A Gentleman's Dress--Dolly Madison's Costume--The
Meschianza--A Ball Dress--Dolls as Models--Men's Jokes on
Dress--Increase in Cost of Raiment.
CHAPTER V
--COLONIAL WOMAN AND SOCIAL LIFE
I. Southern Isolation and Hospitality--Progress through
Wealth--Care-free Life of the South--Social Effect of Tobacco
Raising--Historians' Opinions of the Social Life--Early Growth of

Virginia Hospitality--John Hammond's Description in 1656--Effect of
Cavalier Blood--Beverly's Description of Virginia Social Life--Foreign
Opinions of Virginia Luxury and Culture.
II. Splendor in the Home--Pitman's Description of a Southern
Mansion--Elegant Furnishings of the Time.
III. Social Activities--Evidence in Invitations--Eliza Pinckney's
Opinion of Carolinians--Open-House--Washington's Hospitable
Record--Art and Music in the South--A Reception to a
Bride--Old-Time Refreshments--Informal Visiting--A Letter by Mrs.
Washington--Social Effects of Slow Travel.
IV. New England Social Life--Social Influence of Public
Opinion--Cautious Attitude Toward Pleasure--Social Origin of Yankee
Inquisitiveness--Sewall's Records of Social Affairs--Pynchon's Records
of a Century Later.
V. Funerals as Recreations--Grim Pleasure in Attending--Funeral
Cards--Gifts of Gloves, Rings, and Scarfs--Absence of
Depression--Records of Sewall's Attendance--Wane of Gift-Giving--A
New Amsterdam Funeral.
VI. Trials and Executions--Puritan Itching for Morbid and
Sensational--Frankness of Descriptions--Treatment of Condemned
Criminals--The Public at Executions--Sewall's Description of an
Execution--Coming of More Normal Entertainments--The Dancing
Master Arrives.
VII. Special Social Days--Lecture Day--Prayers for the Afflicted--Fast
Days--Scant Attention to Thanksgiving and Christmas--How Bradford
Stopped Christmas Observation--Sewall's Records of Christmas--A
Century Later.
VIII. Social Restrictions--Josselyn's Account of New England
Restraints--Growing Laxity--Sarah Knight's Description--Severity in
1780--Laws Against Lodging Relatives of the Opposite Sex--What
Could not be Done in 1650--Husking Parties and Other Community

Efforts.
IX. Dutch Social Life--Its Pleasant Familiarity--Mrs. Grant's
Description of Early New York--Normal Pleasures--Love of Flowers
and Children--Love of Eating--Mrs. Grant's Record--Disregard for
Religion--Mating the Children--Picnicking--Peculiar Customs at Dutch
Funerals.
X. British Social Influences--Increase of Wealth--The Schuyler
Home--Mingling of Gaiety and Economy--A Description in
1757--Foreign Astonishment at New York Display--Richness of
Woman's Adornment--Card-Playing and Dancing--Gambling in