Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem in 1822 and was first published 23rd of Dec 1823. And the reading of this poem on Christmas Eve has become of the most common traditions for Americans.
Below is a copy of the poem.
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nic.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedlar, just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"
This came from a ©1888 printing in Parodies of the works of English & American Authors.
Showing posts with label 1823. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1823. Show all posts
Monday, October 10, 2016
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
New York Canals
One of my fascinations with the early part of the 19th century regards the building of canals. They were the primary transportation until the railroads grew large enough to overtake the need or use of canals. Granted there are still canals in operation today but many have been abandoned. I had the opportunity to travel by boat into an abandoned canal in Georgia one time and my dad used to use a canal every summer with his dad bringing their sailboat from Springfield, Mass down the Connecticut River.
All of that is to say that I came across a report from the state of New York concerning Laws for the canals and Annual Reports. There's a wealth of information in this report about some of the needs and workmen for these canals. Below you will find a few random excerpts.
With regard to the Erie Canal
"But there is much to be done yet, upon the Seneca river level. In the marsh and swamps, the state of the waters was such, as not to admit of attempting to excavate them, till the latter part of May: and soon after the laborers had begun to work, a flood came over the whole line, which drove them off for three weeks. It was not, therefore, till after the middle of June, that much labor could be applied to this level. At that time, the work was re-commenced with spirit; and it was carried on, thenceforward, and increasing means, till near the first of August, when sickness began to manifest itself among the hands. For two months, when the waters were lowest, no efforts could keep up the necessary number of workmen. In this time, the number actually engaged, varied from two hundred to seven hundred; ail the principal contractors, with many of the sub-contractors and hands, became diseased; and as there was daily a considerable change of men, those who had acquired, from experience, the skill necessary to enable them to apply their labors judiciously, being obliged to give place to new hands, the progress of the work was much retarded."
"29 locks. Between Schenectady and Albany are twenty-nine locks, including two at the side cut opposite the city of Troy, most of which were completed during the last season, and it is confidently believed that some of them, for beauty of materials, elegance of workmanship, and symmetry of form, will compare with any locks in the world."
"Oct. 8,1824, On the 8th day of October, the first boats passed from the west and the north, through the junction canal, into the tide waters of the Hudson at Albany. And this day was celebrated in a manner which evinced the lively satisfaction of thousands of our citizens, at the triumph of art over the formidable impediments which nature had thrown in the road to prosperity. From the eighth of October, until the canal was closed by the ice, there was but one small breach, which did not obstruct the navigation but three days ; and during this period, from thirty to forty loaded boats were frequently seen to pass in the course of twenty-four hours."
Construction of the canals took lots of men, some were skilled, others were taught on the job. Stone cutters were hired. And some were hired to maintain the canals and locks after they were built. But most of the men moved on to another canal construction site. Citizens found the canals a boom to their economy. Eventually the canals became a place for social activities as well. People would literally stroll along the canal, while others were in boats, having a leisurely cruise down the canal. They were the heart of a community and brought in revenue, as well as a rapid connection with the sending of mail and goods back home.
All of that is to say that I came across a report from the state of New York concerning Laws for the canals and Annual Reports. There's a wealth of information in this report about some of the needs and workmen for these canals. Below you will find a few random excerpts.
With regard to the Erie Canal
"But there is much to be done yet, upon the Seneca river level. In the marsh and swamps, the state of the waters was such, as not to admit of attempting to excavate them, till the latter part of May: and soon after the laborers had begun to work, a flood came over the whole line, which drove them off for three weeks. It was not, therefore, till after the middle of June, that much labor could be applied to this level. At that time, the work was re-commenced with spirit; and it was carried on, thenceforward, and increasing means, till near the first of August, when sickness began to manifest itself among the hands. For two months, when the waters were lowest, no efforts could keep up the necessary number of workmen. In this time, the number actually engaged, varied from two hundred to seven hundred; ail the principal contractors, with many of the sub-contractors and hands, became diseased; and as there was daily a considerable change of men, those who had acquired, from experience, the skill necessary to enable them to apply their labors judiciously, being obliged to give place to new hands, the progress of the work was much retarded."
"29 locks. Between Schenectady and Albany are twenty-nine locks, including two at the side cut opposite the city of Troy, most of which were completed during the last season, and it is confidently believed that some of them, for beauty of materials, elegance of workmanship, and symmetry of form, will compare with any locks in the world."
"Oct. 8,1824, On the 8th day of October, the first boats passed from the west and the north, through the junction canal, into the tide waters of the Hudson at Albany. And this day was celebrated in a manner which evinced the lively satisfaction of thousands of our citizens, at the triumph of art over the formidable impediments which nature had thrown in the road to prosperity. From the eighth of October, until the canal was closed by the ice, there was but one small breach, which did not obstruct the navigation but three days ; and during this period, from thirty to forty loaded boats were frequently seen to pass in the course of twenty-four hours."
Construction of the canals took lots of men, some were skilled, others were taught on the job. Stone cutters were hired. And some were hired to maintain the canals and locks after they were built. But most of the men moved on to another canal construction site. Citizens found the canals a boom to their economy. Eventually the canals became a place for social activities as well. People would literally stroll along the canal, while others were in boats, having a leisurely cruise down the canal. They were the heart of a community and brought in revenue, as well as a rapid connection with the sending of mail and goods back home.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Cisterns
Capacity of Cisterns
For Each 10 inches in Depth
Twenty-five feet in diameter holds.. . . .3059 gallons
Twenty feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . .1958 gallons
Fifteen feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . 1101 gallons
Fourteen feet in diameter holds . . . . . . .959 gallons
Thirteen feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . 827 gallons
Twelve feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . 705 gallons
Eleven feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . .592 gallons
Ten feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . .489 gallons
Nine feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . 396 gallons
Eight feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . 313 gallons
Seven feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . .239 gallons
Six and one-half feet in diameter holds . . . .175 gallons
Five feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 gallons
Four and one-half in diameter holds . . . . . . .99 gallons
Three feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 gallons
Two and one-half feet in diameter holds . . . 30 gallons
Two feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 gallons
From page 37 of Houghtaling's Handbook
Growing up on Martha's Vineyard I never really thought much about cisterns. The Vineyard has plenty of underground water and my family and I drilled our own well. When I was researching Key West for a series of novels I set there, I discovered the small island had been on many pirates maps of the area. It was one of the few Islands (The Florida Keys) that actually had it's own fresh water supply. Here's the rub, once people decided to settle there, the underground spring could not support them all. When the Navy in 1823 came to the Island, they made huge cisterns to capture the rainwater.
Cisterns were used in the expansion of the West as well.
If you're a writer research your area see if they were used. Who knows you might be able to make use of this historical tidbit in your story. I did when my heroine from the North, fully garbed in a woolen dress, all the undergarments a proper woman would wear at that time, and Key West heat over took the poor gal. Naturally, she ended up in the cistern to cool down her body temp from the heat stroke she was suffering from. It was a fun scene to write and quite frankly there have been days in the hot Florida sun I would have loved to cool off in the cool waters of a cistern. Of course, you wouldn't want to drink that water but that's another story.
For Each 10 inches in Depth
Twenty-five feet in diameter holds.. . . .3059 gallons
Twenty feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . .1958 gallons
Fifteen feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . 1101 gallons
Fourteen feet in diameter holds . . . . . . .959 gallons
Thirteen feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . 827 gallons
Twelve feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . 705 gallons
Eleven feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . .592 gallons
Ten feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . .489 gallons
Nine feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . 396 gallons
Eight feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . 313 gallons
Seven feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . .239 gallons
Six and one-half feet in diameter holds . . . .175 gallons
Five feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 gallons
Four and one-half in diameter holds . . . . . . .99 gallons
Three feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 gallons
Two and one-half feet in diameter holds . . . 30 gallons
Two feet in diameter holds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 gallons
From page 37 of Houghtaling's Handbook
Growing up on Martha's Vineyard I never really thought much about cisterns. The Vineyard has plenty of underground water and my family and I drilled our own well. When I was researching Key West for a series of novels I set there, I discovered the small island had been on many pirates maps of the area. It was one of the few Islands (The Florida Keys) that actually had it's own fresh water supply. Here's the rub, once people decided to settle there, the underground spring could not support them all. When the Navy in 1823 came to the Island, they made huge cisterns to capture the rainwater.
Cisterns were used in the expansion of the West as well.
If you're a writer research your area see if they were used. Who knows you might be able to make use of this historical tidbit in your story. I did when my heroine from the North, fully garbed in a woolen dress, all the undergarments a proper woman would wear at that time, and Key West heat over took the poor gal. Naturally, she ended up in the cistern to cool down her body temp from the heat stroke she was suffering from. It was a fun scene to write and quite frankly there have been days in the hot Florida sun I would have loved to cool off in the cool waters of a cistern. Of course, you wouldn't want to drink that water but that's another story.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Surgery during the 19th Century
I'm sorry this post comes late today. I was out of town for the past two day helping my parents while my dad had to have a second procedure on his thumb. He nearly cut it off several months back with his table saw. Yesterday's surgery was to try and improve the flexibility of the thumb. In the end the surgeon was pleased with the op and is hopeful. We're continuing to pray that dad will regain full use of his thumb. My dad works with his hands, even though he is retired he is quite active.
All of that is to say why I picked this topic. I found a great resource and wanted to share it with all of you. It is Illustrated Manual of Operative Surgery and Surgical Anatomy ©1864
What I love about this book is the illustrations. There are illustrations of the tools used, some of which have not changed much, others you might find very crude but it is what they had to work with at the time. They also give a brief name and description of each of the tools. Unfortunately it is a poor scanned copy of the book but it is readable. It is a good tool to give a quite overview of what you might be looking for if your character is in need of surgery. Or what kind of surgery might have been performed on your characters during the Civil War.
If your story is set before the war you might be interested in A Dictionary of Practical Surgery ©1823
Another source for much later in the 19th Century is Pye's Surgical Handicraft ©1893
And for those characters who might be delivering a baby here's a link to Obstetric Surgery ©1895
All of that is to say why I picked this topic. I found a great resource and wanted to share it with all of you. It is Illustrated Manual of Operative Surgery and Surgical Anatomy ©1864
What I love about this book is the illustrations. There are illustrations of the tools used, some of which have not changed much, others you might find very crude but it is what they had to work with at the time. They also give a brief name and description of each of the tools. Unfortunately it is a poor scanned copy of the book but it is readable. It is a good tool to give a quite overview of what you might be looking for if your character is in need of surgery. Or what kind of surgery might have been performed on your characters during the Civil War.
If your story is set before the war you might be interested in A Dictionary of Practical Surgery ©1823
Another source for much later in the 19th Century is Pye's Surgical Handicraft ©1893
And for those characters who might be delivering a baby here's a link to Obstetric Surgery ©1895
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