An Obsession with Old Books

I have an obsession with old books. An exchange I had with a couple visiting the museum this past December taught me that perhaps not everyone who is a lover of history also shares my strange interest in antiquated literature. The couple was looking at a 19th century book about the history of the exploration of Africa that once belonged to my supervisor's grandfather. As they were looking it over, I mentioned that, while I had only read the first 25 pages or so of the book, it was an interesting read. The woman looked at me and replied, "Not really." Wait, what?! How could someone who seemed so knowledgeable about history find an old history text so dull?

Perhaps my fascination comes from the nostalgia of utilizing the public and school libraries as a kid. The town library used to be housed in a section of a strip mall with a Tom Thumb gas station on one end, which I vaguely remember from when I was quite young. The town built a larger library just southwest of downtown when I was in middle school. The school library of my Catholic elementary school was located in an adjacent building which formerly housed the nuns who at one time ran the school. Library day was a fun day because we had numbered, colored painting sticks to help keep the place on the shelf while we looked for books, the card catalog was the best way to learn the Dewey Decimal System, and most of the books I read as I got older had that old book smell. An added bonus was that you got to see who in your class checked out the book before you under the old system. The only downside was that we had to go outside to get to the library, and we never used coats in the middle of winter to cross the "frozen tundra" as we called it. "Oh, it's twelve below zero outside? Psht, who needs to wear a jacket?" Minnesotans are tough (or stupid) like that. As a kid, I had an interest in Nancy Drew for the longest time while the rest of my class was reading either The Boxcar Children or The Babysitters Club (I read a few of those but never really got into them.), and I can distinctly remember listening to the school librarian read the book Redwall to my class, which then became my favorite book series in middle school.

Perchance my fascination comes from memories of sitting upstairs in my grandmother's farmhouse reading the old books that used to belong to the old country schoolhouse that my mother, aunts, and uncles attended as children. Since my grandfather was on the school board and the school sat on his property, I think he acquired quite a bit of the old texts when rural and town schools in the area were consolidated. I used to sit in that little room upstairs and read for hours from the antiquated school textbooks, Dick and Jane style readers, and Betsy-Tacy. There was not much room to sit on the floor, and when I got tired of the floor, sometimes, for a more comfortable place to sit, I would sit on the indoor toilet (lid on of course) that my grandfather had made for use instead of having to use the outhouse in the middle of the night.

Either way, I have a fondness for old books that perhaps only a few would understand. My imagination runs away with me each time I pick up an old book. Who was the previous owner? What did the book first look like when it was brand new? Was it given as a gift or was it a personal purchase? When and where was it read? It is something that certainly reminds me of the insignificance of my life as compared to the history of humanity, and it is a very humbling feeling.

Over the years I have purchased a few 19th century school textbooks for use in the one room schoolhouse at the museum. I received a few more in the mail towards the end of December (Thank you, eBay!), and I am always amused when books that I have purchased have an inscription on the first page. Sometimes it can be a few words, but sometimes it is just a name. I imagine that person writing in that book so many years ago, and it makes me wonder about him or her and what his or her life was like.

"Sigmund Drechsler" as found in Schillers Werke. Vierter Band., 1867

"Louis Rhoades 1874" as found in Wilson's Larger Speller, 1864.

"Della Buchanan's Book, bought Nov 8th A.D. 1881" as found in McGuffey's New Fourth Eclectic Reader, 1866.

"Charles Bunting. 1229 Ky. St. Quincy Ill. owner." as found in Deutsches Zweites Lesebuch Für amerikanishe
Schulen, 1886. The left-hand side is "Charles Bunting" written in the German style script of the time.

"Mary E. Young, Danville, Illinois, U.S.A. - Regards of Stm. [sp?] L. Dec. 1890." as found in Deutsches Drittes
Lesebuch Für amerikanishe Schulen, 1886. It was very common to abbreviate names in the 19th century.

When we finally buy a house, my husband and I are in agreement that we need a library of sorts, so I tend to not get rid of very many books that have been purchased over the years. The only downside of having so many books is finding a place to store them in the meantime. Oh, and moving them every time we find a new place to live. Those boxes are usually the heaviest. But one thing is for certain: my obsession with old books will certainly add some extra character to our future home library.

Palm Weaving

Palm Sunday always brings back childhood memories of watching my mother braiding palms taken home from church that day. I remember sitting near her so I could watch while she worked on this fascinating project. Sometimes it was a breeze for her to bend and manipulate the palms into the woven cone shape, but there were years in which the process of starting the weave escaped her memory, which led to some frustration on her part.

There is a universality that comes with being Roman Catholic, and around the world, the Catholic culture has familiarity to its congregants. At the end of my high school years, I spent a week doing service learning at the Red Lake Indian Reservation's Catholic mission. In the house of the religious sisters with whom we stayed, there were chalk markings above all of the door frames, put there to bless the house at the beginning of the year. This is a rather Catholic tradition, but whenever I see the markings elsewhere, it always brings me back to that house. After graduating high school, I spent about three weeks in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Despite my German language skills not being quite fluent enough to catch everything that was said in Mass, I was capable enough to pick up "Gott seid dank" (Thanks be to God) in the responses, among a few other phrases, because the Mass is the same in every language. My experiences in Germany, attending Mass once at a small chapel in the middle of a grove and once at the cathedral in Berlin, proved just how catholic (i.e. universal) the Roman church can be.

Keeping braided palms around the house is part of this Catholic culture, and I continue to practice it just as my parents and grandparents did. When I was younger, I tended to associate this tradition with yet another oddly rural thing my family still observed, but in reality it is not so much rural as it is a German and Polish Catholic tradition, which makes sense why my family did it. Sadly, it is starting to become a lost art. That is the thing with traditions; they are only continued if they are passed down to the next generation.

If palms are kept in the refrigerator after Palm Sunday, one will still be able to braid later in the week, but the longer one waits, the less malleable the palm fronds become. The tutorial here is for the square cone weave, the type of braid commonly found around my parents' and grandparents' homes when I was a child.

First things first, do not let cats eat the palms. Seriously, these are blessed. Also, they cannot digest them,
speaking from personal experience of cats getting into things they are not supposed to have.

Peel off the hard green edge of the palm fronds to have an easier time weaving.

For the cone weave, find four relatively similar sized palm fronds.

Secure the bottom ends somehow. I used tape this time; I have used a paper clip or a stapler other times.

Divide the palm fronds, pointing them in toward north, south, east, and west directions. Tip: my outside fronds
were my north and south palms.

Fold the south palm to the north. This will be the new north palm.

Fold the north palm to the south. This will be the new south palm.

Fold the east palm over the new north palm but under the new south palm.

Pull the east palm taught. This will be the new west palm.

Fold the west palm over the south palm but under the north palm. This will be the new east palm.

There should be a relatively loose weave starting to look something like this. Make sure to pull it taught
before continuing your braid.

Start with the east palm; fold it over to the west. Braid clockwise first.

Fold the south palm to the north.

Fold the west palm to the east.

To secure the weave, fold the north palm over the new east palm but under the new west palm.

Pull the weave taught. The first step of this braid is complete.

Start with the east palm again; fold it over to the west. Braid counterclockwise this time.

Fold the north palm to the south.

Fold the west palm to the east.

To secure the weave, fold the south palm over the new east palm but under the new west palm.

Pull the weave taught. The second step of the weave is complete.

Continue working clockwise then counterclockwise, always beginning with the east palm. After a few weaves,
the square cone shape will start to take form. 

When there is not much left to the palm fronds, stop the weave. Pull the palm fronds taught.

Gather the top ends together into a bunch.

Tie the loose ends off in a simple knot.

Ta da! The woven palm cone is complete. Place it anywhere around the home as a remembrance.

The easy thing about this weave is that it is really just repeating the same steps over again. The trickiest part is remembering how to start the weave by dividing the fronds into north, south, east, and west directions. The first folds can be difficult to hold together, but once the weave has a few secured braids completed, it is easy as pie. For other versions of palm weaving, there is a book published by the Franciscan Sisters, from near the area of Minnesota in which my father was raised. Palm Weaving by Sister Cecilia Schmitt, or a transcript of the book, is a good resource.

The Donkey

G. K. Chesterson

When fishes flew and forests walked

And figs grew upon thorn,

Some moment when the moon was blood

Then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry

And ears like errant wings,

The devil's walking parody

On all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,

Of ancient crooked will;

Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,

I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;

One far fierce hour and sweet:

There was a shout about my ears,

And palms before my feet.

Scalloped Potatoes - An Old Family Recipe

I have not decided if my mother will threaten bodily harm for spilling family recipe secrets, but this comfort food recipe is too good not to share. If you are used to modern cooking recipes, this is not one of those. There was a time when recipes were written for women who cooked all the time, and the wording tended to be vague and ambiguous because it was assumed the reader would understand even the simplest of guidelines. Modern cookbooks do not read like old fashioned cookbooks. I will have to share a few more old fashioned recipes as proof, but for now, here is the yummiest supper dish ever.

Scalloped Potatoes

Peel potatoes and slice. Rinse off well. (Note: my mother always used to soak them in water for a bit to remove some of the starch from the potatoes. Reserve the starch water for another use if you like.) Grease the bottom of a roasting pan. Layer potatoes, salt and pepper, butter, flour, and ham. Repeat the layers to fill the roaster. Pour in milk. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

The thinner the potato slices the better. I have used mandolin slicers in the past for this.

My first layer filled up about half of my roasting pan. I really need a larger pan.

Add as much or as little ham as you like. Hubby always says things could use more meat, so I added a lot.

Do not forget to add the milk like I almost did this time. We drink whole milk in this household. :)

Mmm! Yummy!

Tips:

• Use about half of a stick of butter for the first layer.
• Sprinkle about 2 Tbsp flour per layer for exact measurements.
• Fill with milk about half way up the pan.
• Cover when baking, stirring about halfway through.
• Add more flour to thicken as needed, more milk to thin.
• Bake for about an hour or until desired tenderness.

Stylish Hair and Hair Goods

Recently I went to a haircut appointment, something I have not done in over a year. When the ends of my hair started to reach the top of the small of my back, I figured it was probably time to clean things up a bit. And since I was going to most likely cut off about five inches to start with, I figured I could sacrifice the few extra inches needed for a hair donation's minimum requirement. I took the plunge and had my cousin, who is a hairstylist, chop off my golden fine locks, which ended up being close to a foot in length when all was said and done.

Unlike the 21st century woman, Victorian era women rarely cut their hair. I have read about mothers keeping their daughters' hair at shoulder length up until they would reach the age of twelve or thirteen, after which the girls would let their hair grow for the rest of their lives for the most part. On rare occasion, a woman would cut her hair but usually only if she were sick, entering the convent, or in need of money. Hair from convents and women desperate to earn coin was then turned into false hair pieces for purchase. So in the same fashion as the 21st century woman, wearing fake hair was not something out of the ordinary.

 When you look at old photographs and tintypes from the Victorian era, try to keep any feelings of jealousy or envy over the copious amounts of hair in check because it is very likely that the woman with a ridiculously large coiffure is actually wearing a false hairpiece or a padded hair device. Hair switches came in many styles and colors, and a very stylish woman could blend these pieces into her own locks so as to make it look natural, while others were not as successful.

An obvious false hair piece as the woman's hair is blonde
while the wig is darker.

Any woman could stay up on the latest trends by reading the women's domestic magazines of the day, such as Godey's Lady's Book, Harper's Magazine, and The Metropolitan Monthly (later known as The Delineator). As a result, even a woman living in remote, rural areas would have knowledge of the up and coming fashion trends, which she could happily copy to the best of her abilities. While clothing in rural areas may sometimes have been seen as not up to date on the latest fashion plates by some, hair was a commodity that could easily be adapted to the latest styles and trends so as to not look too old-fashioned.

The Lost Art of Penmanship

There is a fabulous textbook, The Business Guide; or, Safe Methods of Business, published in 1886, in the one room schoolhouse which I have perused through from time to time. In the beginning part of the book, the topic of penmanship is discussed. For someone entering the fields of business during the 19th century, or education for that matter, neat, legible handwriting was of the utmost importance. If you had terrible penmanship, you might not be hired for a job, unlike this century. The English style of script taught in schools from the 1840's until near the end of the century was Spencerian script. While I have seen a few variations on some of the capital letters, there are quite a few differences compared to the Palmer method script, which was introduced to pupils in the 1890's and remained the predominant style of handwriting taught in schools until the mid-20th century. Because of the uniform methodology of the Palmer script, many teachers during this time forced left-handed pupils to write with their right hands. While still a rather decorative script compared to modern styles of handwriting, there was significantly less flourish in the Palmer method than in the Spencerian script.

Spencerian script alphabet, capital letters. While many of the letters are quite similar to modern styles, there are some unique differences. The lower case letters also have a few anomalies from modern script.

Spencerian script, ornamental writing. Many surviving documents from the 19th century are written in a style similar to what is seen here. The Victorians sure had a flair for the ornate!

Ornamental flourishes to penmanship were much more common in the 19th century. I think I could have had some fun with this if my 20th century teacher would have taught it.

Another example of ornamental penmanship, or calligraphic writing by modern standards.

Exercises in ornamental penmanship. There are many options to choose from when adding decoration to your penmanship. It is recommended to hold restraint when adding flourishes.

A less flourished version of Spencerian style script for business use. It would be important for a customer to be able to read any correspondence, and if your writing had a lot of flourish, chances are it would be difficult for a customer to decipher.

While business writing was tamed, a person's signature would never lose its flourish. Even if your penmanship was atrocious, your signature would not suffer the same fate. When writing your own signature, think of our 18th century founding father, John Hancock.

When shipping packages, many businesses used an alphabet similar to this style. I do believe we have a few artifacts at the museum which exemplify this style of script.

Contrary to popular belief, manuscript printing was a style of writing taught in the 19th century. While was is not as prevalent, there were occasions to print instead of write the alphabet.

German script in the 19th century was called Kurrentschrift or Alte Deutsche Schrift. It was based on a medieval Gothic script, and it was amended a bit in the early 20th century to the slightly simplified script of Sütterlin. This style of writing went out of fashion in the 1940s. This is my favorite script to use in my German Lutheran one room schoolhouse simply for the fact that few can read it, even if many recognize it from old family letters.

Later 20th century handwriting consisted of teaching pupils to write manuscript style, block printing, and then transition into cursive style. In a complete about face from the Palmer method's tendency to assimilate left-handed writers, modern handwriting books gave instruction for both the left-handed and right-handed child. (Phew, thank goodness for me since I am a lefty! I have heard many stories from my mother about her teacher forcing her to write with her right hand.) For those who began attending elementary school in the 1980's like me, one might be familiar with a third style of writing called D'Nealian. The script was meant to show the beginning of a curve in letters so as to make the transition to cursive easier. Some schools still use this style of instruction today.

The Palmer method replaced Spencerian style in the very late 19th century and dominated school classrooms until the mid-20th century. While still rather ornate, it is a much simpler form of writing than Spencerian script. It is during this period many teachers forced left-handed writers to switch hands.

Zaner-Bloser developed a block printing style to teach the youngest of students in the later 20th century. This is a style still used in many classrooms today in which students first trace the letters then write the letters independently. There are still proper strokes to be followed when writing.

The transition to cursive writing in the Zaner-Bloser method was meant for the third grade and utilizes the same technique as printing. The student first traces the letters then writes the letters independently. If you were in elementary school during the 1970's or later, chances are you learned this style of script.

The transitional method sometimes taught in the late 20th century was D'Nealian. Like Zaner-Bloser, many schools still use this style of script when teaching children how to write. Some have altogether replaced cursive writing with this technique.

Heading into the 21st century, I am astonished to hear how many schools have dropped handwriting from their curriculum. For some reason, many educators making these decisions consider penmanship to be obsolete in a world of technology and computers. I joke that one day the Declaration of Independence is going to look like hieroglyphics to future generations of Americans, but sadly, it could possibly become a reality. When I portray a 19th century schoolmistress, there are many visitors my age and younger who cannot read my handwriting on the blackboard. It should be noted, when writing in English, I use Spencerian script with as little flourish as possible while writing on the blackboards.

A little humor. Is penmanship really obsolete? Have computers really taken the place of handwriting? Or do some just consider it to be no longer necessary because of the patience good handwriting requires It is not something to be learned overnight but to be perfected with much practice over many years.

I do not mean to give teachers a bad reputation for decisions often made beyond their control. Many 21st century teachers continue to teach penmanship to their students. Handwriting Without Tears is a penmanship curriculum I frequently hear mentioned by today's teachers, and there is a variety of published curriculum available for use, thankfully. There are also parents of children who are taking the initiative to teach penmanship to their children after the schools their children attended remove it from the classroom. This exercise in fine motor skills is still relevant and important in 21st century education, and kudos should be given to those still trying to keep it alive. I have seen second grade boys rush through assignments and turn in papers with printed script written backwards yet cursive script written correctly. There is some logic in keeping penmanship in the classroom.

Printed manuscript for Handwriting Without Tears. It seems simple and straightforward. Added bonus: its name suggests a promise of zero crying children. ;)

Cursive script for Handwriting Without Tears. It uses a vertical letter instead of incorporating any slant. Personally, it is an ugly script, but if a child is learning cursive one should not complain.

So, the next time you sit down to hand write something, keep in mind the Victorian advice to scholars of business for practicing and perfecting the eloquent art of penmanship:

How to write.

A complete set of rule for position and practice.

1. Sit in an upright and easy position. It will add to the ease and beauty of your writing. Keep both feet on the floor.
2. Hold the pen firmly, but not so tightly as to cramp the fingers.
3. Place the hand on the paper so the top of the holder will always point over the right shoulder. This will cause the points of the [steel] pen to press equally on the paper.
4. Keep the wrist from touching the paper or desk, and keep the thumb from bending while writing. Avoid the finger movement. It's not practical.
5. Let every downward stroke of the pen be drawn towards the center of the body, and the writing will have the correct slant.
6. Never practice carelessly. Always practice with a free and quick stroke. Let the movement be bold, free, offhand, resting the pen so lightly that the arm, hand and fingers can move freely together.
7. In making the shades, press on the pen with a gentle, springing movement. It will avoid heavy and irregular strokes.
8. Heavy shading, or shading every downward stroke, never adds beauty nor grace to the writing.
9. The thoughtful student in penmanship, as in other studies, will win. Think and write. Practice with perseverance, and your success will be certain.
10. To make the greatest improvement in the shortest time, practice upon the letters separately until you can make them all correctly.
11. Flourishes, too heavy shading, too large or too small letters, should be carefully avoided.
12. Practice writing by copying business letters, notes, drafts, receipts, etc., and you will improve your knowledge of business as well as your penmanship.