Cabins

In 19th Century literature you'll find several books, poems, etc. written with a cabin as a major focus. Below is a list with links to various resources. Something to keep in mind that during the 19th century a cabin was a single room structure.

The most common source would be Life at the South or more commonly known as Uncle Tom's Cabin ©1852

The Log Cabin ©1844

The Hunter's Cabin ©1862

Poor Paddy's Cabin ©1854

The Cabin in the Clearing & Other Pioneer Poems ©1868

The Cabin on the Prairie ©1869

The Mud Cabin ©1853 So this one is not fiction but uses the term with regard to the politics or how the author saw the politics of Britain at this time.


Of course a cabin can be more nautical in nature so we have The Cabin Boy's Story ©1854

Chronicles of Capstan Cabin ©1878

The Two Cabin Boys©1881

The Captain's Cabin ©1877

Eye Care

Here's an interesting tidbit on the care of the eye from Dr. Chase's Home Advisor & Everyday Reference Book ©1894

THE EYES.
As our greatest pleasures and knowledge are derived fiom the sight, so has Providence been more curious in the foundation of its seat, the eye, than in the organs of the other senses.—Sir A'. Steele.
The Eyes, and How to Care for Them.—The eye is not only the light-house to the soul, but it is undoubtedly the most valuable member of the human body, and I except none. It therefore behooves us to exercise every possible precaution for its preservation, and no words are too strong to serve as warning to those who wrongfully use or abuse the eye.
Care of the Eyes.—Never read in bed or when lying upon the sofa. Sit with your back to the light as much as possible. Attend to your digestion. Do not work longer than two hours without closing your eyes and resting them for five minutes. If your eyes are weak, bathe them in cold water to which a little salt and a little brandy have been added.
Don't work by twilight or by a flickering light. The rapidly diminishing light between sunset and dusk is most fatal to the eyes. Fine needlework, especially colored embroidery, should be pursued only in good light.
Don't read in direct sunlight, as the glare is a direct irritant to the retina. In reading by artificial light, the back should always be turned to the source of illumination, allowing the light to pass over the shoulders. When working by artificial illumination, the light should either be high enough to permit shading of the eyes by the brows, else an opaque screen, or, better still, a translucent shade should cut off the glare of the light from the eyes, and yet permit illumination of the work. The light of an oil lamp is, as a rule, better than that furnished by the average corporation gasburner.
The eye speaks with an eloquence and truthfulness surpassing speech. It is the window out of which winged thoughts often fly unwittingly.—Tuckerman.
In one case—not among the employes just spoken of—the contraction of the pupil was so great that the sufferer was unable to go about without assistance. He had smoked from twenty to thirty cigars a day. He renounced tobacco, and his sight was fully restored in three and one-half months.

Sulky A type of Carriage

Below is a page from my 19th Century Carriages & Wagons Resource Guide for Writers Book. If you're interested in purchasing the book click the title for a link.

SULKY

DESCRIPTION: A light two-wheeled carriage for a single person, drawn by one horse, used as a pleasure-carriage and for trials of speed between trotting-horses.
Defined by The Imperial Dictionary ©1883
Wooden wheels with iron rims built wide to travel over most roads in the earlier days. Built on elipticle springs. When racing became the primary use for the sulky then it had thinner wheels.
NUMBER OF PASSENGERS: 1
YEARS BUILT AND/OR IN SERVICE: This has been hard to tie down.
Online entomology dictionary has 1756
They aren't listed in the tax roles I found for 1800. But I did find them in the tax 1813 tax laws for PA.
The racing sulky industry reports they were first built in the mid-1800's.
What this means is they were probably in Europe before the United States and we know they were here before 1820 because they were taxed.
LOCATION & ORIGIN OF DESIGN: America
PRINCIPLE REGION(S) OF USE: Country and City
POWERED BY: 1 horse or colt.
Today they also use dogs for racing sulkies.
WHERE DRIVER & PASSENGERS SAT: On the single seat
COSTS: 1834 cost $70-$80

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
An old saying:
A bachelor is a person who enjoys everything and pays for nothing; a married man is one that pays for everything and enjoys nothing. The one drives a sulky through life, and is not expected to take care of any one but himself: the other keeps a carriage, which is always too full to afford him a comfortable spot. Be cautious then how you exchange your sulky for a carriage.
Etiquette for Gentlemen ©1847

HOW TO HITCH A HORSE IN A SULKY
Lead him to and around it; let him look at it, touch it with his nose, and stand by it till he does not care for it; then pull the shafts a little to the left, and stand your horse in front of the off wheel. Let some one stand on the right side of the horse, and hold him by the bit, while you stand on the left side, facing the sulky. This will keep him straight. Run your left hand back, and let it rest on his hip, and lay hold of the shafts with your right, bringing them up very gently to the left hand, which still remains stationary. Do not let anything but your arm touch his back, and as soon as you have the shafts square over him, let the person on the opposite side take hold of one of them, and lower them very gently to the shaft-bearers. Be very slow and deliberate about hitching; the longer time you take the better, as a general thing. When you have the shafts placed, shake them slightly, so that he will feel them against each side. As soon as he will bear them without scaring, fasten your braces, etc, and start him along very slowly. Let one man lead the horse, to keep him gentle, while the other gradually works back with the lines till he can get behind and drive him. After you have driven him in this way a short distance, you can get into the sulky, and all will go right. It is very important to have your horse go gently when you first hitch him. After you have walked him awhile, there is not half so much danger of his scaling. Men do very wrong to jump up behind a horse to drive him as soon as they have him hitched. There are too many things for him to comprehend all at once. The shafts, the lines, the harness, and the rattling of the Bulky, all tend to scare him, and he must be made familiar with them by degrees. If your horse is very wild, I would advise you to put up one foot the first time you drive him.
The Modern art of taming Horses ©1858

Soap

Over the years I've posted a few posts on soap. Below are some recipes from The Cumberland Valley Cook & General Recipe Book ©1881. And below that are some links to former posts as well as a link to a book on Google.

How To Make Soap.—Slack 5 lbs. lime with hot water, then add 6 1/2 lbs. soda ash to it, and pour 4 1/2 large buckets of boiling water on it; then stir well, let stand over night; then pour the clear lye to 15 lbs. rendered fat, or 25 lbs. bacon 3kins, into a kettle. Then pour 4 buckets boiling water on the soda ash, and lime again to make your lye. Now boil your fat 1 hour, then add 1 1/2 pts. salt, boil 1 hour longer; then put the soap into a tub, let stand over night, replace it in the kettle again and pour the 4 buckets of weak lye to it. Boil 2 hours, then add 1 1/2 pts. more salt. Boil half an hour.
Hard Soap.—To 6'lbs. soap-fat, take 6 lbs. soda, and 3 lbs. lime. Boil the soda and lime in 4 gals, of water, pour off the clear liquor, taking care to get no sediment. Add this to your fat, boil until soap, pour it out, and when cold, cut as desired. This needs no salting.
Soap.—6 lbs. good lime, 6 lbs. soda ash, 12 lbs. rendered fat, 15 gals, water. Put the lime and soda ash in the kettle with all the water, and let it boil from 5 to 10 minutes smartly. Then put in a tub to settle, which it will do in a few minutes. Dip it back into the kettle and add the fat. Boil 4 or 5 hours. No salt, or it will be ruined.
Erasive Soap.—2 oz. aqua ammonia, 1 oz. white shaving soap, 1 teaspoon saltpetre, 1 qt. soft water.
The sender of the above recipe says it is worth ten dollars to any family, and costs but little to try it.
For Removing Grease, Etc.—2 oz. castile soap, 2 oz. strongest ammonia, 1/2 oz. ether, 1/2oz. alcohol, cut the soap fine and heat in a pint of soft water until dissolved; then add 1/2 gal. more water and all the ingredients. Keep corked tight. Cleans all kinds of cloth, carpets, paints, glass, etc., and is a good shampoo for the head. Use sponge, and rinse afterward in clear water. Cost of the above ingredients, 25 cents.

Below is a list of former posts:
Soap

1893 Soap Ad & 1869 Soap Recipes

Phosphate Soap

Soap Substitute Recipe

Google Book Resources:
The Art of Soap Making

Corsets

I found this little gem of a book on fashion titled "The Freaks of Fashion"©1870, below is the Preface. There are tons of illustrations in the book, along with all kinds of tidbits. Click the title for a link to the book in google books.

PREFACE.
The subject which we have here treated is a sort of figurative battle-field, where fierce contests have for ages been from time to time waged; and, notwithstanding the determined assaults of the attacking hosts, the contention and its cause remain pretty much as they were at the commencement of the war. "We in the matter remain strictly neutral, merely performing the part of the public's * own correspondent," making it our duty to gather together such extracts from despatches, both ancient and modern, as may prove interesting or important, to take note of the vicissitudes of war, mark its various phases, and, in fine, to do our best to lay clearly before our readers the historical facts—experiences and arguments—relating to the much-discussed "Corset question?
As most of our readers are aware, the leading journals especially intended for the perusal of ladies have been for many years the media for the exchange of a vast number of letters and papers touching the use of the Corset. The questions relating to the history of this apparently indispensable article of ladies' attire, its construction, application, and influence on the figure have become so numerous of late that we have thought, by embodying all that we can glean and garner relating to Corsets, their wearers, and the various costumes worn by ladies at different periods, arranging the subject-matter in its due order as to dates, and at the same time availing ourselves of careful illustration when needed, that an interesting volume would result.
No one, we apprehend, would be likely to deny that, to enable the fairer portion of the civilised human race to follow the time-honoured custom of presenting to the eye the waist in its most slender proportions, the Corset in some form must be had recourse to. Our information will show how ancient and almost universal its use has been, and there is no reason to anticipate that its aid will ever be dispensed with so long as an elegant and attractive figure is an object worth achieving.
Such being the case, it becomes a matter of considerable importance to discover by what means the desirable end can be acquired without injury to the health of those whose forms are being restrained and moulded into proportions generally accepted as graceful, by the use and influence of the Corset. It will be our duty to lay before the reader the strictures of authors, ancient and modern, on this article of dress, and it will be seen that the animadversions of former writers greatly exceed modern censures, both in number and fierceness of condemnation. This difference probably arises from the fact of Corsets of the most unyielding and stubborn character being universally made use of at the time the severest attacks were made upon them; and there can be no reasonable doubt that much which was written in their condemnation had some truth in it, although accompanied by a vast deal of fanciful exaggeration. It would also be not stating the whole of the case if we omitted here to note that modern authors, who launch sweeping anathemas on the very stays by the aid of which their wives and daughters are made presentable in society, almost invariably quote largely from scribes of ancient date, and say little or nothing, of their own knowledge. On the other hand, it will be seen that those writing in praise of the moderate use of Corsets take their facts, experiences, and grounds of argument from the every-day life and general custom of the present period.
The Crinoline is too closely associated with the Corset and with the mutable modes affected by ladies, from season to season, to be omitted from any volume which treats of Fashion. The same facts, indeed, may be stated of both the Crinoline and the Corset. Both appear to be equally indispensable to the woman of the present period. To make them serve the purposes of increased cleanliness, comfort, and grace, not only without injury to the health, but with positive and admitted advantage to the physique—these are the problems to be solved by those whose business it is to minister to the ever-changing taste and fashion of the day.

Cake Anyone

Here are some cake recipes from "Cook Book of Tried Recipes" ©1897 There are some different recipes then we tend to run across today. Enjoy!

CAKES.
Cream Chocolate Cake.
Stir to a light cream one cup sugar and one-half cup butter, then add' one-half cup sweet milk; add whites of three eggs well beaten, two small cups of flour, onehalf teaspoonful baking powder. Add the eggs and flour alternately. Icing—One and one-half cups granulated sugar, one-half cup sweet milk; boil five minutes; take off the fire and stir until it begins to thicken; flavor strongly with vanilla and spread on cake while warm; then take two squares of Baker's chocolate, dissolved over steam of teakettle and spread over the white icing. Mrs. W. G. Byron.
Raisin Cake.
One pound flour, one-half pound butter, one-half pound raisins, one cup sour cream, six eggs, one nutmeg, juice of a large orange, one teaspoon soda dissolved in a little boiling water.
Mrs. R. J. Mendenhall. White Cake.
One cup sugar, one-half cup butter, one-half cup sweet milk, one and one-half cups flour, whites of two eggs, one teaspoonful cream tartar, one-third teaspoonfnl soda; bake in shallow pan and cut in squares.
Mrs. E. J. Mendenhall. Fruit Cake.
One pound flour, one of sugar, three-fourths pound of butter, two pounds of raisins, two pounds of currants, one-half pound of citron, one cup molasses, one pound walnuts, one dozen eggs, teaspoon soda, one wineglass brandy, one ounce of extract of cloves.
Mrs. Herman Kenkel.
Fruit Cake.
Two scant teacups butter, three cups brown sugar, six eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, one pound raisins seeded, one pound currants washed and dried, one-half pound citron cut in thin strips, one cupful good molasses, one cup sour milk. Stir the butter and sugar to a cream; add to that one-half grated nutmeg, one tablespoon of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of cloves, one of mace; add the molasses and milk; stir all well, then put in the beaten yolks; stir again and then add four cups of flour, alternately, with the beaten whites of eggs. Now dissolve one teaspoonful of soda and stir in thoroughly. Mix the fruit and stir into it two heaping tablespoonfuls of flour, then stir it into the cake; bake in two common sized baking tins; line them with letter paper, well buttered; bake in moderate oven two hours. This cake will keep for years if the cakebox is kept locked. Mrs. David Hunter.
Pound Cake.
One pound flour, one pound butter, one pound sugar, ten eggs, one tablespoon baking powder. Cream the butter and sugar; add a little flour, one egg, a little more flour, another egg, and so on, beating instead of stirring. Use about a tablespoon of flavoring—almond, lemon, vanilla, etc. Cover the dish with paper and leave on. It will keep the cake moist.
Mrs. Margaret G. High.
Spice Cake.
Three-fourths cup butter (small), two cups brown sugar, three and one-half cups flour, one cup cold water, two teaspoons baking powder, three eggs, two teaspoons cinnamon, one-half teaspoon cloves, one-half nutmeg, a little vanilla, a little salt, one large cup raisins and currants. Make two small or one large loaf.
Mrs. Richard H. Chute.
Spice Cake.
Two cups sugar, one cup molasses, one cup sour milk, one and one-half cups butter, five cups flour, five eggs, two tablespoonfuls cinnamon, two nutmegs, grated, one scant tablespoon of cloves, one pound raisins, one-half pound currants, one-half pound citron, one large teaspoonful soda. Mrs. Duganne. Pound Cake.
Twelve eggs, one pound granulated sugar, one pound butter, one pound sifted flour, one teaspoonful baking powder. Mix sugar and yolks together and cream with hands; mix the butter and flour and cream with the hands. Beat whites to a froth and add them to yolks and sugar; add all of this to the flour and butter; stir all thoroughly. To season: Vanilla and two tablespoonfuls brandy.
Miss Jessie KiUridge, Milwaukee, Wis.
Clove Cake.
One cup butter, two of sugar, one cup of milk, three cups of flour, four eggs, two teaspoonfuls cream tartar and one of soda, two teaspoonfuls of cloves.
Mrs. W. G. Byron.
Clove Cake.
One-half cup each sugar, molasses, sour milk, butter, two cups flour, one teaspoon soda, put half of soda into the molasses and half in the milk, yolks of three eggs one tablespoon cloves; bake in layers.
Mrs. D. D. Webster.
Coffee Cake.
One cup of cold strong coffee, one cup of sugar, onehalf cup butter, four cups of flour, three-fourths of a cup of raisins and the same of currants, two eggs, one cup of molasses, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg to taste; add one small teaspoonful of soda dissolved in hot water. Mrs. Fau-cett. Dutch Apple Cake.
Two cups flour, two teaspoons baking powder, onefourth cup butter, one-half teaspoon salt, one cup milk two tablespoons sugar, one egg, four large apples. Mix dry materials; rub in butter; add beaten egg and then milk; cut apples in eighths and put on top; sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar; bake in hot oven until the cake is done and the apples soft. Very nice warm for lunch or tea. Mrs. W. R. Edwards, Milwaukee.
Caramel Cake.
Two eggs well beaten; add one-fourth cup sugar and beat again; one saltspoon salt, one and three-fourths cups flour into which you have sifted two teaspoons of baking powder four times, this fo be added alternately, one-half cup of milk (dissolve one and three-fourths cups burnt sugar in milk), three tablespoons of soft butter; this will make one large square tin. If you want to, add vanilla; add two tablespoons of water; bake in R moderately quick oven.
Mrs. Hiram W. Ross.
Cup Cake.
One cup butter, two cups sugar, three cups flour, four eggs, one cup milk, teaspoon baking powder, lemon and nutmeg for flavoring. This makes a good layer cake, or to put currants in, or for a cream layer cake.
Mrs. H. 'F. Brown.
Sunshine Cake.
Beat to a stiff froth the whites of eleven eggs; gradually add one and one-half cups of granulated sugar, measured after sifting, then the well beaten yolks of six eggs, one cup of flour, measured after sifting, with one teaspoon cream tartar; stir very lightly; flavor with erne teaspoon vanilla and bake fifty minutes. Do not grease pan. Mrs. L. E. Harknexs.
A ii gel Food.
One cup flour, one teaspoon cream tartar, whites of eleven eggs beaten very stiff, one and one-half cups pulverized sugar. Mrs. Guy K. Brink.
Sunshine Cake.
Make same as angel's food, using one teaspoon orange extract and adding beaten yolks of six eggs.
Annabel Brink.
Chinese Cakes.
Take the yolks of as many eggs as you wish to use, beat thoroughly, and for each yolk; add a tablespoonful of sugar and one of flour; flavor with vanilla or any extract you prefer and drop in hot patty pans well greased; bake quickly and frost if you choose. These are delicious. Contributed.
English Currant Cake.
Oue cupful butter, one cupful sugar, four eggs, one teaspoon baking powder, one pint flour, one and onehalf cupfuls currants washed and picked, one teespoonful cinnamon, one teaspoonfnl extract. Kub the butter and sugar to a white, light cream; add the eggs, one at a time, beating a few minutes between each; bake in a paper lined cake tin about fifty minutes in a moderate oven. . Mrs. A. O. Hubbard
Black Chocolate Cake.
One cup butter, two cups sugar, two and one-half cups flour, five eggs, one cup sour milk, one teaspoon soda in a little boiling water, one-half cake Baker's chocolate grated and put into the cake before stirring in the flour. Separate the eggs.
Mrs. Samuel Johnson.
Sponge Cake.
Yolks of six eggs beaten very light, one cup of sugar, four tablespoons cold water, one heaping cup flour, one teaspoon baking powder, small pinch salt, teaspoon yanilla, lastly the well beaten whites.
Mrs. Samuel Johnson.
Sponge Cake.
Six eggs, one-half teaspoonful cream tartar, a good pinch of salt, one cup powdered sugar, two thirds cup of flour. Beat whites of eggs until half beaten, then add cream tartar and salt; beat again until they will not fall from the plate when turned upside down; sift sugar five times and fold into whites; sift flour five times and fold into whites and sugar carefully; bake in slow oven one hour. Frosting—Two-thirds cup powdered sugar, moistened with two tablespoonfuls of boiling water; boil to a syrup; beat white of one egg, then add to it gradually the syrup.
Sponge Cake.
Three eggs, one and one-half cups powdered sugar, two of sifted flour, one teaspoon of baking powder, onehalf cup of cold water; flavor with lemon; bake in dripping pan or gem pan. I like the gem pan best.
Mrs. E. A. Eldred.
Sponge Cake.
Four eggs, one and one-half cups sugar, half cup of cold water, one cup flour, one teaspoon baking powder, pinch salt, flavoring. Beat eggs separately to a stiff froth; add sugar and beat; add water, salt and flavoring; sift baking powder in flour and beat all together thoroughly; bake in a moderately hot oven about forty minutes. Do not stir the pan while baking.
Mrs. C. C. Odell. Mountain Cake.
One cup of sugar, two eggs, one-half cup of butter, one-half cup sweet milk or water, two cups of flour, one teaspoon baking powder, a little nutmeg; bake in dripping pan or gem tins. Mrs. E. A. Eldred.
White Cake.
One cup sugar, one small tablespoon butter, one-half cup sweet milk, one-half cup cornstarch, whites of four eggs, one cup flour, two small teaspoons baking powder; flavor with lemon. Mrs. Mary Mooers.
Blueberry Cake.
One cup sugar, one-half cup butter, one-half cup milk, two and one-half cups flour, one and one-half teaspoons baking powder, one pint blueberries.
Mrs. A. B. Barton.
Blueberry Cake.
Three cups flour, one-half cup sugar, one cup milk, one egg, butter size of an egg, three teaspoons baking powder, one pint berries, floured before stirring into the cake, salt. To be eaten with butter. Fine for breakfast or lunch. Mrs. Richard H. Chute.
Hickory Nut Cake.
One cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, one cup. of sweet milk, one cup of hickory nuts chopped fine, whites of six eggs and yolks of three, two teaspoons baking powder. Mrs. A. D. Eads.
Geranium Leaf Cake.
One-half cup of butter, one cup of sugar, one-half cup of milk, two cups flour, two eggs, one teaspoon baking powder: rose geranium leaves spread over the bottom of tin before the mixture is put in. A delicious cake. Mrs. Margaret G. High.
Almond Cake.
One cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, one cup of milk, three teaspoonfuls baking powder, whites of ten eggs; bake in layers. Filling—One pound of almonds pulverized to a paste, three eggs; beat the yolks; add one cup of sugar, one cup of thick, sour cream, then the almonds. Beat the whites stiff, adding a tablespoon of sugar, then stir into the mixture atid add vanilla to taste. Mrs. Edw. Brooks.
Ribbon Cake.
Whites of six eggs, one and one-half cups powdered sugar, one-half cup of milk, two cups flour, sifted several times with one heaping teaspoon of baking powder. Take out a third or little more of the mixture and add to it half a cup of chopped raisins, a teaspoon of grated lemon rind, a teaspoon of cinnamon, one-half teaspoon of cloves, sprinkle of nutmeg and, if you have it, a piece of preserved ginger mashed fine; bakt, this in one layer and the white part in two layers, putting together with boiled icing, flavored with a little grated lemon rind; the fruit layer between the two white ones.
Mrs. B. D. Russell. Maple Cake.
Three eggs, one cup of white sugar, two tablespoons of sweet milk, one heaping cup of flour, two teaspoons of baking powder. Filling—Boil one cup of maple syrup to a wax and add the beaten white of one egg.
Mrs. Langley. Lemon Jelly Cake.
One and one-half cups of sugar, one-half cup of butter, one-half cup of milk, two and one-half cups of flour, three eggs, one teaspoon of baking powder. Filling— One cup of sugar, one egg, grated rind and juice of one lemon, one tablespoon of water, one teaspoon of flour: cook until as thick as jelly. Mrs. E. A. Eldred. Boll Jelly Cake.
Four eggs beaten fifteen minutes, one-half coffee cup sugar, three-fourths cup of flour, one teaspoon baking powder, one large cooking spoonful of water, a pinch of salt. Grease a large flat pan and bake quickly a very light brown; spread jelly on bottom of cake and roll up. Mrs. L. A. Reed.
Fig Cake.
Two level cups of sugar, three of sifted flour, one-half cup of butter, one of milk, two level teaspoons baking powder, one of vanilla and whites of six eggs. Stir butter and sugar to a cream; add flour and milk, first one and then the other in small quantities; then add baking powder, vanilla and eggs beaten to a stiff froth. For the filling: Beat whites of four eggs; add pulverized sugar until stiff, then three-fourths of a pound of figs chopped very fine; spread between layers when cake is cool. Mrs. Samuel Glover.
Fig Cake.
One cup sugar, one scant cup butter, one-half cup sweet milk, one cup flour, one-half cup cornstarch, one heaping teaspoon baking powder, whites of four eggs; bake in two shallow cake pans. Filling—Into boiled icing stir ten cents worth of chopped figs and one-half cup chopped hickory nuts. Mrs. T. E. Daniel.
Marshmallow Cake.
One cup sugar, one-fourth cup butter, one-half cup milk, one and one-half cups flour, two teaspoons baking powder, whites of three eggs, flavor with vanilla. Make a boiled frosting with two cups sugar, one cup of water; boil till it threads; take from fire and stir in whites of two eggs. Heat part of one-half pound of marshmallows by putting them in the oven for a minute and stir into the frosting while hot. Decorate the top of cake •with the rest of the marshmallows.
Mrs. Hiram W. Ross.
Miimehaha Cake.
One cup of butter, two of sugar, four eggs, one cup of sweet milk, three of flour, two large teaspoons of baking powder. Filling—One cup of walnut meats crushed fine, one cup of sour cream, two eggs, two tablespoons of pulverized sugar; a little chocolate may be added if desired. Mrs. I. J. Covey.

Sandwiches

Here are some sandwich recipes that come from "Chafing Dish Recipes" ©1896

Sandwiches.—Stir the yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs with 2 ounces of butter to a cream, add 1 raw yolk, 1 tablespoonful lemon juice or tarragon vinegar, 12 fillets of canned anchovies, 1 teaspoonful English mustard, 2 tablespoonfuls fine-chopped pickles, 1 tablespoonful fine-chopped capers, the fine-chopped whites of the boiled eggs, 1/4 teaspoonful white pepper, 1 teaspoonful grated onion; when this is well mixed add 1 pound fine-minced boiled ham; spread 1 tablespoonful of this preparation over a thin slice of bread, cover with another slice; then cut the sandwiches even all around and in half diagonally; when they are all prepared in this way serve them on a folded napkin. If the sandwich preparation is not used all at once put it into a small jar; cover and keep in a cool place; it will keep for some time.
Chicken or Turkey Sandwiches.—Cut cold roasted chicken or turkey into fine slices, spread some thin slices of bread with a canape sauce; put 2 slices of bread together with a slice of chicken between, trim the sandwiches neatly, cut them into 3-cornered pieces and serve on a folded napkin; or spread the bread with butter, lay on the chicken, sprinkle over a little salt, and finish the same as above. Another way is to mix 2 tablespoonfuls butter with 1 tablespoonful French mustard, spread the slices of bread with the mustard butter, put a slice of roasted chicken, turkey, cold roasted veal, or boiled ham between 2 slices and finish the same as above; or another way is to put small pickles cut in half over the meat between the slices, or spread the bread with butter, put on the meat and a little French mustard over the meat.
Lettuce Sandwiches.—Spread some thin slices of bread with a canape sauce, put 2 and 2 slices together with 2 or 3 young lettuce leaves between; cut them even all around, then into 3-cornered pieces, and serve.
Lenten Sandwiches.—Chop fine 1 pickled beet, 3 small pickles, 1 tablespoonful fine-chopped capers, 2 hard-boiled eggs; mix all the ingredients together with 1/2 pint of mayonnaise; cut 12 thin slices of bread, spread a thin layer of the above preparation over each slice, dip some young lettuce leaves into mayonnaise, lay them over 6 slices of bread, and cover them with the other 6 slices; cut the sandwiches even all around, then cut into small triangles and serve.
Sandwiches a la Brigum.—Cut 12 thin slices of bread, mix 4 ounces of butter with 1 tablespoonful English mixed mustard, spread this over the slices of bread, lay on this butter some fine-chopped small pickles, dip some small lettuce leaves into a mayonnaise, lay them over the pickles, and lay over the lettuce leaves a thin slice of chicken meat, then some more lettuce leaves, mayonnaise, and fine-chopped hard-boiled eggs; cover with a slice of the buttered bread, trim them neatly, and cut them into triangles and arrange the sandwiches on a folded napkin.

New Years Eve & Day

Happy New Year! Below are some tidbits from Harper's Magazine ©1866

New-Year's Eve, the 31st.—We would premise that the phrase "eve"or "even," though an abbreviation of the word evening, in its present acceptation applies to the whole day which precedes a festival. Formerly, Christians were in the habit of keeping "vigils" on the evenings prior to certain festivals, and by extraordinary devotions preparing for the better celebration of the feast on the following day. The words "eve" and "vigil" thus grew to be almost synonymous. New-Year's Eve, however, is not a vigil; for none of the festivals which occur between Christmas and Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification, February 2d, is preceded by a vigil; the period being regarded as one of joy and not proper for fasting. The same is true of the days which intervene between Easter and Whitsuntide. The eves of Christmas and of Easter were always esteemed the most important vigils of the year, and were observed with the greatest strictness by the devotional. The Christmas and Easter seasons were likewise considered periods for especial rejoicing, and were honored accordingly.
New-Year's Eve—
Yes, the year is growing old,
And his eye is pale and bleared!

Death with froflty band and cold
Plucks the old man by the beard,
Sorely—sorely!

Yes, the year is hastening to a close; soon it will be united to those which preceded it, and save by the influence it must exercise upon time to come, it will be known no more. No more 1 How touching is the expression! It is peculiar to our own language. To what sad thoughts it gives rise; what melancholy feelings it awakens! No more! Yes, the year has grown old. Time pursues its stealthy, steady, unfaltering progress; soon, too, we will grow old like the year. Jamicson supposes the name, says Mrs. Howitt, "to be derived from the carols sung on this day." The last stanza of one of those chanted on Christmas would seem to be appropriate to Singing E'en. It forms part of the collection presented to Mrs. Howitt by Mrs. Fletcher:
God bless the master of this house
And mistress also;
And all the little children

That round the table go
With their pockets full of money.

And their cellars full of beer;
And God send you a Happy New Year.

Again:
God bless the master of this house,
Mistress and children dear;
Joyful may their Christmas be,

And happy their New Year.
"To this day also belongs," adds Mrs. Howitt, "the Hogmanay, orHogmena, which has been supposed, and not without some appearance of reason, to be a corruption of a Druid rite, while the word itself would seem to have come to us from Normandy. Gue, or Guy, is the Celtic name for 'oak;' and Keysler tells us that on the 31st of December the boys and youths go about the towns and villages begging for gifts, while,byway ofwishingahappyNewYear, they say 'Au Guy L'An Nevf—To the Mistletoe, the New-Year's come;' by which word they designate not only the season but the gift received. "In Scotland the custom prevailed until very lately, if indeed it has ever ceased entirely to exist, of distributing sweet cakes and a particular kind of sugared bread for several days before and after the new year; and on the last night of the old year, especially called Hogmenai, the social meetings made a point of remaining together till the clock struck twelve, when they all rose up, kissed each other, and wished a Happy New Year around. Children and others went about for several nights from house to house in guisarts, or guisanh, that is to say, in masquerade disguises, singing at the same time:
'Rise up, good wife, and be no swier
To deale your bread as long's you're here;
The time will come when you'll be dead,
And neither want nor meal nor bread.'"

What can be said of a year? Of what one shall we speak? Each year differs from every other; and to every person each year presents quito a different aspect. The thoughts naturally dwell most upon that which is passing away. Let those to whom it has been illumined by the favoring smiles of a kind Heaven rejoice and be thankful; and let those to whom it has been sad and weary take heart of grace, and be strong in hope for the future.
Edwin Lee's "Christmas and New Year" concludes thus •
The clock strikes twelve, and the Old Year dies. Roys raixe his body on a bier, and maidtnis sing the foUo'icinn Dirge:
Bring the last December rose, Frosted o'er with wintry snows; Let the fading petals fall O'er the Year's funereal pall.
From the wood some oak leaves bring
That were green in early spring;
Scatter them about the bier
Of the now departing Year.

Let the bells upon their wheels,
While our fond ideas veer,
Ring the solemn midnight peals,
Ling'ring for the dying Yfar.

Hark! the peal has ceased to roll;
Silence rei(;n^; but now a toll
Breaks upon the startled ear—
Gone forever is tho Year!

Sleds & Coastng

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as I did with my family. If you live in the north you may have received a sled when you were young for Christmas. Below are some tidbits about sleds and sledding which they called Coasting. This comes from the "Fourth Reader of the Popular Series" by Marcius Wilson ©1883

Beacon Hill, east of the school-house. "Old Beacon," the boys called it; and "coasting," they called the sport.
3. The boys had sleds of many shapes, and sizes, and names, and colors. There were some thick, heavy plank sleds; and these, the boys said, were like the great and strong, but slow dray-horses down at the Forges. Then there were the lighter board sleds; and these were like the regular road-way wagon horses: but the prettiest of all were the light but strong frame sleds, made of the toughest timber; and these, the boys said, were the regular racers.
4. Among these latter sleds were the "Arrow," the "Eover," the "Racer," the "Swallow," the "Eagle," and many others. There were red sleds, and yellow sleds, and green sleds, and blue sleds; but Freddy Jones's sled, the "Eagle," was the favorite with all; and it was painted red, white, and blue.
5. "These are the colors of the flag of our country," said the teacher, who often joined the boys in their sports, and especially in coasting. "Your sled," said he to Freddy, "bears the name of our national bird, and ought never to be beaten."
6. When it was pleasant out of doors, and there was good coasting, the boys would invite the girls to go out and enjoy the sport with them; but the teacher would not allow the girls to go in rough, stormy weather.
7. One stormy, blustering day, when the boys went out to enjoy their sport, in the half hour of recess that the teacher had promised them, they found an immense snowdrift right across the track, near the foot of the hill-side, where the light snow had been blown during the night.
8. As Freddy's sled was the largest, as well as the swiftest, of the " racers," the other boys said they would wait, and % let him try the hill first; and if the "Eagle" could go through the drift, they would follow. But Freddy told the boys to get on to his sled. "It will carry half a dozen of you at least," he said; "and if you will only hold on when we strike the drift, I think it will take us all safely through."
9. So all that could get on Freddy's sled did so. "Now hold fast, and 'don't give up the ship,'" said Freddy. Then swiftly down—down the hill they went, on the ice, Freddy steering straight for the drift away down below. The "Eagle," with Freddy still at his post and bending low his head as he struck the drift, went through the "mountain of snow," as the boys called it, making a narrow passage, like a tunnel, through it, and then going on far beyond.
10. But the "crew," as Freddy called them, all deserted him, and fell from the sled, or were thrown from it, just as they had reached the point of danger, although some of them said Oiey would have gone through with Freddy, if they had not been pulled off by their companions. But all were thrown far into the drift, and were completely buried in the snow, from which they crawled forth well whitened—as, indeed, Freddy himself was—but without the least injury to any of them.
11. It was not long after this that the following account of this coasting scene, written in pencil, was found on the teacher's table in the school-room. As it is a part of the same story, and as the boys were much pleased with the good words that the teacher wrote about them, and with the interest that he took in their sports, it may form a part of the present chapter.

Merry Christmas

Hi all,
I'm taking this week off from posting new tidbits. For those of you working on your books, articles, research, enjoy the site. For me, I'll be enjoying family and finishing our holiday preparations.
In His grip,
Lynn

Christmas Decorations

Here's a little tidbit from Success with Flowers ©1898 and below is a tidbit from "The School Journal" ©1898

For home decorations individual taste may be freely indulged in. Use plenty of green Cedar, Pine, Holly, or any that is obtainable. Partridge berries, branches of Holly, and Bitter-sweet berries are lovely for decorative purposes. An unused fireplace may be very effectively banked with evergreens. Place branches of them in large vases and over pictures, mirrors and doors. Always arrange them artistically, so that the effect will be entirely pleasing.
Bunches of red and white berries or everlasting flowers may be worked in with the evergreens to advantage, but be careful not to use too many of them, or they will cheapen the appearance of the decorations very unpleasantly.
A drawing-room which held a beautiful Christmas tree last year was so exquisitely decorated that it looked a veritable woodland bower, yet so simple and natural did it all appear that one could quite easily imagine all of the lovely greenery had grown just where it was.
Above the door was the motto "Merry Christmas" in scarlet letters on a white ground, with an edging all around it of Holly leaves. A rather wide band of evergreens went all around the room over the picture moulding; from each corner a rope of the evergreen was festooned to the middle of the room, and the four pieces united in the center under the chandelier. From this hung a branch of gleaming Mistletoe. Another
branch of the latter hung from the draperies which shut in a cosy little retreat in the bay window, a bright fire glowed in the fireplace, and an evergreen band formed a graceful arch around it. The high mantel was gracefully festooned to its top. Palms, Ferns, small cedar and little Arborvitaj trees were banked together in front of the Oriental portieres draping the cosy corner of the room, forming a beautiful green archway to the tempting little recess revealed within. On a small table in the corner of the room most remote from the fire was a mound of dark-green Moss, from which tall slender spikes of exquisite white and purple Hyacinths swung their delicate waxen bells and filled the room with fragrance.
True, such decorations will doubtless be much too elaborate for the majority of homes, but possibly some one may obtain a hint that can be effectively worked out in a more humble manner.
The Christinas spirit of peace and good-will should be in every heart, and it is fitting that we should decorate our homes in a manner suitable to this sacred and joyous festival.— Mary Foster Snider.

****

Our Christmas Tree.
By M. E. Stone, Providence, R. I.
We have a forest of pine trees on our board in the back of the room. A week before the Christmas vacation we choose one to be transplanted to the front blackboard. It looks very pretty. We think how green it is while other trees -are bare. We read the story of the "Discontented Pine Tree." We have a snow-storm and like to see the white snow cling to the pine branches.
What a beautiful Christmas tree it would make! Let us trim it.
What shall be put on first? Why, our Christmas star, that we have been drawing and cutting. That must be put at the very top. Now we will buy a box of candles. There are a dozen in a box. Three are red, three white, three blue and three yellow. While we are at the store, let us get some of those pretty, shiny balls to hang on our tree. Half a dozen will do; red, blue and yellow, two of each. How much are they? The candles are a cent apiece and the balls are two cents each. I have money enough to buy the candles. Who will buy the balls?
I have now real candles and balls, and our brown circular tablets we use for money. The children always call them pennies unless I tell them some other name. Usually, however, I have drawn the box of candles and of balls, and the children copied them with pegs or colored crayon on paper. We thus practiced the horizontal and vertical lines and circles of our regular drawing work. Material is also afforded for a review of nearly all the combinations of number included in the fall work. For instance, the balls are arranged by twos, that we may talk about two twos or three twos, and the candles by threes for a similar purpose. There is one star having five points, and we make three candy-bags and four cornucopias. We make real cornucopias of colored paper by lapping and pasting two adjoining sides of a square. This may have a loop of thread, worsted or ribbon at the upper corner with which to attach it to a real tree. If sewing is in the first grade work, the candy-bags can be easily made by overcasting together with bright worsted, the edges of a piece of coarse muslin, cut in the shape of an oblong by the teacher.
One of the prettiest cutting and pasting lessons can be given in making a paper chain. Give the children four inch squares of various colors and let them cut the papers into strips a quarter of an inch wide. Have these arranged on each desk in rows (vertical, horizontal or oblique, if the drawing program calls for those words and directions) so that two strips of the same color will not be near each other. Then allow the children to paste the strips by lapping one end over the other, slipping the next strip thru this ring and pasting as before, being careful to take up the strips in the order in which they were laid on the desk. This will be new to the children, if old to the teacher, and can be done by the smallest. The picture presented by a roomful of smiling children festooned with these bright chains is good for the teacher to see.
We trim the blackboard tree day by day by proxy, carrying home the real stars, bags, cornucopias and chains. The children are delighted to decorate their chandeliers, mirrors, picture-frames and even the knobs on doors or bureaus if they have no tree on which to hang their handiwork. They make more at home, show other children how, and give to the ones too small to do such work.
Santa Claus comes during the night before the last day of school, and hangs horns, drums, dolls, jumping-jacks and other toys on the tree, and puts boxes of tools and dishes, tables, chairs, beds and bicycles near it. The children appear to enjoy the presents as well as if they were real and belonged to them. Often something has been left out that some child wants very much, but if I draw it he will be well satisfied. One little boy wanted "music" this Christmas; another, a train of cars. 1 draw everything asked for, whether I know how or not. I try to
find out how afterward, to be prepared for emergencies.
After vacation, when we must have the board room for other work the children are sorry to say good-bye to the Christmas tree.

Houghtalings Handbook

Since it is TBT (Through Back Thursday) on the web I thought I'd post a collection of older post. I first started this blog after I came across this great book of tidbits in an antique store. Below are links to all the posts of Houghtalings Handbook I put together over the years.

Spirits of Turpentine
Bogus Butter
U.S. Postal Salaries Part 1
U.S. Postal Salaries Part 2
U.S. Postal Salaries Part 3
U.S. Postal Salaries Part 4
U.S. Postal Salaries Part 5
U.S. Postal Salaries Part 6
U.S. Postal Salaries Part7
Weights & Measures for Cooks
Simple Interest Rates 1884
Legal Holidays in the United States
Height of Principal Monuments and Towers
Relative Value of Different Foods and Stock
Maxon Dixon Line
Fictitious Names of Cities
Benjamin Franklin's Words of Wisdom
Fictitious Names of States
New York & Brooklyn Bridge
Seed Vitality 1887
Average Annual Rainfall
Average Annual Temperatures 1887
Most Northern Point Reached by Arctic Explorers
Value of Bar Iron
Salaries of United States Officials 1887
Greatest Billiard Match
Friday an Eventful Day in America
Deepest Wells in the World
Time Required for Digesting Food Part 1
Time Required for Digesting Food Part 2
Language of Flowers Part 1
Language of Flowers Part 2
Herschel's Weather Table for Foretelling Weather
Measurements
Years of Age for Animals
1887 Elections
How Southern Confederate Money Dropped
Number of Miles by Water from New York
Camphor Cure for Cholera
Tallest Man of Modern Times 1887
Origins of the Names of the Month
How to Rent a Farm
Salaries of the Offices of Indian Affairs 1887
Facts from 1880 Census
Broker's Technicalities
Sunstroke
How to Preserve Eggs
Roofing Materials
Steamboat Inspection Service
Interest
How to Measure Corn
The Nations That Eat the Most
Signs of the Tongue
Business Laws in Brief
The Ways for Business Men to Get Rich
Speed of Trotting Horses per second
Civil War Confederate Soldiers Surrendered
Civil War Colored Troops
Soldiers in Civil War
Civil War Called For Service
How to Tell if a Person is Dead or Alive
Value of Foreign Money on a Gold Bases 1887
Strength of Ice Thickness
Law of Finding
A Lady's Chance of Marrying
Printing Papers Costs
American Wars during the 19th Century up to 1887
Navy Yards
United States in 1887
Prisoner's Commutation Table
Lighthouse Keepers
World's Largest Steam Hammer
Spirits of Turpentine a Valuable Remedy
Facts About the Sea
Census Office Salaries 1887
Postage Regulations 1889 Part 1
Postage Regulations 1889 Part 2
Great Canals of the World
How to Prevent Iron from Rusting
How to Sleep
How to Kill Grease Spots Before Painting
How to Start a Balky Horse
Bible Facts from Houghtalings 1889
Memorable Events in 1800's
The Wedding Anniversaries
Cisterns
Facts for Builders
Debt in 1887

Lord of Misrule

I'm not certain if I would like one someone with this name and charge in my home today but there are some fun aspects of this English tradition I thought I'd share with you today. This info comes from "The Christmas Book" ©1845

THE LORD OF MISRULE.
"We are come over the moor and the moss;
We dance an hobby horse;
A dragon you shall see,
And a wild worm for to flee.
Still we are all bravejovial boys,
And take delight in Christmas toys."—Ploughman's Play.

Eoreign writers have expressed great astonishment at the curious customs which formerly prevailed in England in connection with Christmas, but the "Lord of Misrule" or the "Abbot of Unreason," as he was called in Scotland, seems to have astonished them more than any other. They always speak of his existence as peculiar to England, but, as Strutt correctly observes, this frolicsome monarch was known upon the continent before any acquaintance was made with him in England. His office was that of a Master and Lord of the Christmas revels. He was appointed some weeks before the arrival of the feast in order that he might be able to make proper provision in the way of jokes and sports, and from the Christmas Eve down to Twelfth Day, he was the absolute master of all in the house where he was. It rested with him to command the carol singers, the mummers, the jugglers, and players; he provided them, and produced them in such order as he thought best. So that all the sport depended upon having a good "Lord of Misrule," for the fuller of mirth he was, the more sport was made for the Christmas party.
Holingshed when speaking of Yule, calls it the time "there is "alwayes one appointed to make sport at courte, called commonly "Lord of Misrule, whose office is not unknown to such as have been "brought up in noblemen's houses and among great housekeepers, "which use liberal feasting during the Christmas.'" Stow, who is more communicative upon the nature of his office, says, "At the feast of "Christmas, there was in the king's house, wheresoever he was lodged, "a Lord of Misrule, or Master of merry disports, and the like had ye in "the house of honour or good worship, were he spiritual or temporal. "Amongst the which the mayor of London, and either of the sheriffs, "had their several Lords of Misrule, ever contending, without quarrel "or offence, who should make the rarest pastimes todelight the beholders. "These lords beginning their rule on Alhollon eve, continued the same "till the morrow after the Eeast of the Purification; commonly called "Candlemas day. In all which space there were fine and subtle disguis"ings, masks, and mummeries, with playing at cards for counters, nails, "and points, in every house, more for■ pastime than for gain."* The time named by Stow during which the sports continued, is longer than that generally- allotted, but probably not longer than was the custom in instances with which he was acquainted.
Illustrations abound in history, shewing how the games were carried on, and who were appointed to the office. In the reign of Edward VI., and in order probably to prevent him. from dwelling too much upon the recent execution of Somerset, the Christmas sports were conducted without regard to cost. A gentleman, named George Eerrars, who was a lawyer, a poet, and an historian, was appointed by the council to bear this office; "and he," says Holingshed, "being of "better calling than commonly his predecessors had been before, "received all his commissions and warrauntes by the name of master of "the kinge's pastimes; which gentleman so well supplied his office, both "of show of sundry sights, and devises of rare invention, and in act of "divers interludes, and matters of pastime, played by persons, as not only "satisfied the common sorte, but also were verie well liked and allowed "by the council, and others of skill in lyke pastimes; but best by the "young king himselfe, as appeared by his princely liberalitie in reward"ing that service." Eerrars was certainly well qualified for his task, and well supplied with the means of making sport. He complained to * "Stow's Survey," p. 37, ed. of 1842.
Sir Thomas Cawarden that the dresses provided for his assistants were not sufficient, and immediately an order was given for better provision. He provided clowns, jugglers, tumblers, men to dance the fool's dance, besides being assisted by the "Court fool '■' of the time— John Smyth. This man was newly supplied for the occasion, having a long fool's coat of yellow cloth of gold, fringed all over with white, red, and green velvet, containing 7| yards at £2 per yard, guarded with plain yellow cloth of gold, four yards at 33s. 4d. per yard; with a hood and a pair of buskins of the same figured gold containing 1\ yards at £5, and a girdle of yellow sarsenet containing one quarter 16d. The whole value of "the fools dress" being £26. 14s. 8d. Ferrars as the "Lord of Misrule" wore a robe of rich stuff made of silk and golden thread containing nine yards at 16s. a yard, guarded with embroidered cloth of gold, wrought in knots, fourteen yards at lis. 4d. a yard; having fur of red feathers, with a cape of camlet thrum. A coat of flat silver, fine with works, 5 yards at 50s. with an embroidered garb of leaves of gold and coloured silk, containing 15 yards at 20s. a yard. He wore a cap of maintenance, hose buskins, panticles of Bruges satin, a girdle of yellow sarsenet with various decorations, the cost of his dress being £52. 8s. 8d., which, considering the relative value of money, must be considered a very costly dress.
The titles assumed by the Lords of Misrule were occasionally very ridiculous. In 1607, there was a grand celebration of the Christmas festivity at St. John's College, Oxford, and the elected lord issued proclamations, in which he styled himself the most magnificent and renowned Thomas, by the favour of Fortune, Prince of Alba Fortunata, Lord of St. John's, High Eegent of the Hall, Duke of St. Giles's, Marquis of Magdalen's, Landgrave of the Grove, Count Palatine of the Cloysters, Chief Bailiff of Beaumont, High Ruler of Bbme (Rome is a piece of land, so called, near to the end of the walk called Non Ultra, on the North side of Oxon), Master of the Manor of Walton, Governor of Gloucester Green, sole Commander of all Titles, Tournaments, and Triumphs, Superintendent in all Solemnities whatever. A record of the sports and pastimes on this occasion has been preserved and printed* under the title of "A true and faithful relation of the rising and fall of "Thomas Tucker, &c," and contains a very full picture of what Christmas was in the old times.
The lawyers were very regular in their election of a Christmas lord. And they had the usual shows performed in their several Inns of Court. Their lord was up early in the morning hunting out his officers, and "pulling all the loiterers out of bed to make their early sport, but after "breakfast the fun was suspended until the evening, when it was opened "again day after day with great spirit until the holidays ended. The "Judges attended every evening, and the 'under barristers' were bound "to dance before their lordships. On one occasion, when this was "omitted, the whole bar was offended, and at Lincoln's Inn, the offenders "were by decimation put out of commons for example sake; and should * "Miscellanea Antiqua Anglicana," vol. i.
"the same omission be repeated, they were to be fined or disbarred; for "these dancings were thought necessary 'as much conducing to the "making of gentlemen more fit for their books at other times/ "*
At a Christmas celebrated in the Hall of the Middle Temple in the year 1635, the jurisdiction, privileges, and parade of this mock monarch are thus circumstantially described. "He was attended by his lord "keeper, lord treasurer, with eight white staves, a captain of his band '• of pensioners, and of his guardj and with two chaplains, who were so "seriously impressed with an idea of his regal dignity, that when they "preached before him on the preceding Sunday in the Temple Church, "on ascending the pulpit they saluted him with three low bows. He "dined both in the Hall and in his privy chamber, under a cloth of "estate. Tho poleaxes for his gentlemen pensioners were borrowed of "Lord Salisbury. Lord Holland, his temporary justice in eyre, supplied "him with venison, on demand; and the Lord Mayor and sheriffs of "London, with wine. On Twelfth Day, at going to church, he received "many petitions, which he gave to his master of requests: and, like "other kings, he had a favourite, whom with others, gentlemen of high "quality, he knighted at returning from church. His expenses, all from "his own purse, amounted to two thousand pounds." After he was deposed, the king knighted him at "Whitehall, f
But it occasionally happened that when My Lord went forth with his band of merry men, they got into trouble. An instance of this, which occurred in 1627, is recorded in one of Mede's letters to Sir Martin Stuteville. The letter is worth reprinting as an illustration of the manners of the age, and as relating to what was probably the last Lord of Misrule elected by the barristers. Mede writes, "On Saturday "the Templars chose one Mr. Palmer their Lord of Misrule, ,who, on "Twelfth-eve, rate in the night, sent out to gather up his rents at five "shillings a house in Ram-alley and Fleet street. At every door they "came they winded the Temple-horn, and if at the second blast or sum"mons they within opened not the door, then the Lord of Misrule cried "out, 'Give fire, gunner!' His gunner was a robustious Yulcan, and "the gun or petard itself was a huge overgrown smith's hammer. This "being complained of to my Lord Mayor, he said he would be with them "about eleven o'clock on Sunday night last; willing that all that ward "should attend him with their halberds, and that himself, besides those "that came out of his house, should bring the Watches along with him. "His lordship, thus attended, advanced as high as Ram-alley in martial "equipage: when forth came the Lord of Misrule, attended by his "gallants, out of the Temple-gate, with their swords, all armed in cuerpo. "A halberdier bade the Lord of Misrule come to my Lord Mayor. He "answered, No! let the Lord Mayor come to me! At length they "agreed to meet half way: and, as the interview of rival princes is never "without danger of some ill accident, so it happened in this: for first, "Mr. Palmer being quarrelled with for not pulling off his hat to my "Lord Mayor, and giving cross answers, the halberds began to fly about his ears, and he and his company to brandish their swords. At last 'being beaten to the ground, and the Lord of Misrule sore wounded, "they were fain to yield to the longer and more numerous weapon. My "Lord Mayor taking Mr. Palmer by the shoulder, led him to the "Compter, and thrust him in at the prison-gate with a kind of indigna"tion; and so, notwithstanding his hurts, he was forced to lie among the "common prisoners for two nights. On Tuesday the king's attorney "became a suitor to my Lord Mayor for their liberty; which his lord"ship granted, upon condition that they should repay the gathered rents, "and do reparations upon broken doors. Thus the game ended. Mr. "Attorney-General, being of the same house, fetched them in his own "coach, and carried them to the court, where the King himself reconciled "my Lord Mayor and them together with joining all hands; the gentle"men of the Temple being this shrovetide to present a Mask to their "majesties, over and besides the king's own great Mask, to be performed "at the Banqueting-house by an hundred actors."
The inhabitants of our cities and even villages had also their Lord of Misrule. He was elected by the common voice, and clothed at the cost of the voters. Having no particular place in which to exhibit, he chose a party of young fellows to go with him from house to house, where they sang and danced, and then moved off to others, until every large house had been visited. In this case, however, the Lord of Misrule and his party became the mummers of the season—the two ideas were confused, but as mumming was an important part of the sport, we shall consider it in the following section.

19th Century Recipes for Fruitcake

BLACK FRUIT CAKE, NO. I.
One pound of butter, one pound of sugar, twelve eggs, one pound of flour, one pound of currants, one pound of thinly-sliced citron, three pounds of Seeded raisins cut in pieces, one pound of chopped figs, one-half cupful of any preferred liquor, two tablespoonfuls of strained lemon juice, one-half teaspoonful of salt, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, one~half teaspoonful of cloves, three-quarters of a teaspoonful each of mace, allspice and nutmeg.
Dredge the prepared fruit with a little of the flour and mix the spice with the remainder. Cream the butter, gradually add the sugar and cream until light, then_slowly add the liquor beating until light and creamy. Add the beaten yolks of the eggs, then the whites; cut in the flour, add the remaining ingredients. Have the pans lined with several thicknesses of paper, turn in the batter and bake slowly in a moderate oven for from three to five hours according to the thickness of the cake. Cover with paper until half baked.
BLACK FRUIT CAKE, NO. 2.
One-half pound of butter, one pound of sugar, one pint of flour, nine eggs, one and one half pounds of currants, three quarters of a pound of citron, two pounds of seeded raisins, one-quarter of a pound of blanched almonds cut into strips, one-quarter of a pound of chopped hickory nut meats, two ounces of cinnamon, one-half ounce each of nutmeg, mace and clove, one-half teaspoonful of salt, one cupful of brandy.
With regard to the points you mention we would say that a mixture of candied fruits may be used in place of a part of the fruit; they should be cut fine and should be marinated in brandy or other liquor for several hours; the kind of fruit used is a matter of individual taste; we would suggest that you make up several mixtures and then settle upon the one best liked. The same is true of liquors; various kinds of rum or a good brandy are generally used; liqueurs, such as maraschino or kirschwasser, are sometimes added as well in small quantities. Baking powder is never used in a heavy fruit cake; it makes it crumbly and spoils the soft velvety texture.
Source: Table Talk ©1899

Fruit Cake
I cannot give you a better recipe for fruit cake than you will find in my cook book. Both those recipes, like the one just given, have been used many times individually, and even under my directions in the School I have never seen a single failure.
Beat ten eggs, without separating, until very light; beat one pound of butter to a cream; warm the bowl; put in a pound of butter; cut it into blocks; then, with the back of a spoon, mash it, and then begin to beat; now add to this, gradually, one pound of granulated sugar; beat again. Have ready one and a half pounds of washed currants, one and a half pounds of raisins (stoned), three-quarters of a pound of shredded citron; mix these together and lightly flour; add to the butter and sugar first the eggs; then stir in one pound of flour, one teaspoonful of cinnamon, a half teaspoonful of ground mace, one teaspoonful of allspice, half teaspoonful of cloves, one grated nutmeg, juice and grated rind of one orange and one lemon; beat vigorously for at least five minutes. Now stir in carefully the floured fruit. Line two fruit-cake pans with greased paper (bottom and sides), pour in the mixture, and bake in a very moderate oven four hours. If you use liquor, add it to the mixture before addirg the fruit. Put one gill of brandy, and then omit the orange and lemon juice.
Source: Household News ©1894

Fruit Cake.
One pound brown sugar, one of butter* one of eggs, one of flour, two of raisins, two of currants, half pound citron, a nutmeg, tablespoon cloves, one of allspice, half pint brandy, and two tea-epoons baking-powder. After baking, while yet warm, pour over cake a half pint wine. This makes the cake delicious.—Mm Angie Skinner,
Somerset.
Excellent Fruit Cake.
One and a half pounds raisins, one and a fourth pounds currants, three-fourths pound citron, pound butter, pound sugar, one and a fourth pounds flour, ten eggs, two table-spoons lemon, two tea-spoons yeast powder; mix a fourth pound of the flour in the fruit.—Mrs. J. W. Grubbs,
Poor Man's Fruit Cake.
One and a half cups brown sugar, two of flour, one each of butter and chopped raisins, three eggs, three table-spoons sour milk, half tea-spoon soda, half cup blackberry jam. This is excellent as well as economical.—Mrs. J. S. Robinson,
Scotch Fruit Cake.
A cup butter, two of white sugar, four of sifted flour, threefourths cup sour milk, half tea-spoon soda, nine eggs beaten separately, one pound raisins, half pound currants, a fourth pound citron; cream the butter and sugar, add milk gradually, then beaten yolks of eggs, and lastly, while stirring in flour, the whites well whipped. Flavor with one tea-spoon lemon, and one of vanilla extract, and have raisins chopped a little, or, better still, seeded, and citron sliced thin. Wash and dry currants before using, and flour all fruit slightly. In putting cuke in pan, place first a thin layer of cake, then sprinkle in some of the three kinds of fruit, then a layer of cake, and so on, always finishing off with a thin layer of cake. Bake in a moderate oven for two hours. Tested by many and has never failed. — Mrs. J. H. Shearer.
Thanksgiving Fruit Cake.
Six pounds flour, three of butter, three and a half of sugar, an ounce mace, two glasses wine, two glasses brandy, four pounds raisins, half pound citron, six eggs, one pint yeast, small tea-spoon soda put in at last moment. After tea, take all the flour (except one plate for dredging raisins), a small piece butter, and a quart or more of milk, and mix like biscuit; then mix butter and sugar, and at nine o'clock in the evening, if sufficiently light, put one-third of butter and sugar into dough; at twelve add another third, and very early in the morning the remainder; about eleven o'clock, if light enough, begin kneading, and continue for an hour, adding meanwhile all the other ingredients. This will make seven loaves.— Mrs. Woodworth, Springfield.
Source: Practical Housekeeping ©1883

FRUIT CAKE. (Superior.)
Three pounds dry flour, one pound sweet butter, one pound sugar, three pounds stoned raisins, two pounds currants, three-quarters of a pound sweet almonds blanched, one pound citron, twelve eggs, one tablespoonful allspice, one teaspoonful cloves, two tablespoonfuls cinnamon, two nutmegs, one wineglass of wine, one wine-glass of brandy, one coffee cupful molasses with the spices in it; steep this gently twenty or thirty minutes, not boiling hot; beat the eggs very lightly; put the fruit in last, stirring it gradually, also a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a tablespoonful of water; the fruit should be well floured; if necessary add flour after the fruit is in; butter a sheet of paper and lay it in the pan. Lay in some slices of citron, then a layer of the mixture, then of citron again, etc., till the pan is nearly full. Bake three or four hours, according to the thickness of the loaves, in a tolerably hot oven, and with steady heat. Let it cool in the oven gradually. Ice when cold. It improves this cake very much to add three teaspoonfuls of baking powder to the flour. A fine wedding-cake recipe.
FRUIT CAKE BY MEASURE. (Excellent.)
Two scant teacupfuls of butter, three cupfuls of dark brown sugar, six eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, one pound of raisins, seeded, one of currants, washed and dried, and half a pound of citron cut in thin strips; also half a cupful of cooking molasses, and half a cupful of sour milk. Stir the butter and sugar to a cream, add to that half a grated nutmeg, one tablespoonful of ground cinnamon, one teaspoonful of cloves, one teaspoonful of mace, add the molasses and sour milk. Stir all well; then put in the beaten yolks of egg, a wine-glass of brandy; stir again all thoroughly, and then add four cupfuls of sifted flour, alternately with the beaten whites of egg. Now dissolve a level teaspoonful of soda, and stir in thoroughly. Mix the fruit together, and stir into it two heaping tablespoonfuls of flour; then stir it in the cake. Butter two common sized baking tins carefully, line them with letter paper well buttered, and bake in a moderate oven two hours. After it is baked, let it cool in the pan. Afterward put it into a tight can, or let it remain in the pans and cover tightly. Best recipe of all.
—mrs. S. A. Camp, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Source: White House Cook Book ©1889

Table Manners & Goops

I stumbled across this illustrated poem and thought it a fun piece to share with all of you. Although I will admit that a "goop" was a new expression for me.

You can read more about Goops with Goops and How to Be Them, a Manual of Manners by Gelett Burgess. It is available from Google Books for free online. It was originally published in 1900. Here is the link to Guttunberg's page for the book with the links to the various types of format. Link Although I have seen references to the book in publications from 1893-1898.