Part 13 (2/2)

Whittier

[Illustration: PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS OTTAWA]

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA IN THE ”THIRTIES”

Country life in Western Canada in the ”Thirties” was very simple and uneventful There were no lines of social division such as now exist

All alike had to toil to win and maintain a home; and if, as was natural, soh battle of pioneer life than others, they did not feel, on that account, disposed to treat their neighbours as their inferiors Neighbours, they well kneere too few and too desirable to be coldly and haughtily treated Had not all the members of each community hewn their way side by side into the fastnesses of the Canadian bush? And what could a little additional wealth do for theht supply luxuries, enforced simplicity and s of their houses were plain, and the chief articles of dress, if substantial and comfortable, were of coarse homespun--the product of their own labour The sources of amusement were limited The day of the harmonium or piano had not come Music, except in its simplest vocal form, was not cultivated; only the occasional presence of soht both of old and young

The motto of ”Early to bed and early to rise” was, even in winter, the strict rule of fa all were up, and breakfast was over usually before seven As soon as the gray light of dawn appeared, men and boys were off to the barns, not e in the needful and tedious labour of threshi+ng by hand In the evenings, the fahter tasks and pleasant talk around a glowing fire In firewood, at least, there was, in those days, no need for econos may contribute to convenience and comfort There were no lucifer matches at that date It was needful to cover up carefully the live coals on the hearth before going to bed, so that thereThis precaution was rarely unsuccessful; but sometimes a member of the fahbour's, in order that breakfastto crawl out of h the keen frosty air for half a hbour's It was, however, my father's practice to keep bundles of finely split pine sticks tipped with brimstone With the aid of these, the , tasks of various kinds crowded rapidly upon us The ha the preceding autu in the smoke-house On the earthen floor beech or iven off by the combustion of these woods in a confined space, not only acted as a preservative but also lent a special flavour to thefollowed in quick succession

No hands could be spared The children must drive the cows to and fro It was a weary task, I well remember, to stand, perhaps for an hour, and drive the dasher up and down through the thick cream How often did we exa, and as the relief when theenough, I had to follow a team; indeed, I drove the horses, mounted on the back of one of theive ricultural operations were few and rough Iron ploughs with cast-iron mould-boards and shares were cohs, they were cluhs which, even at that date, had not wholly gone out of use For drags, tree-tops were frequently used

In June ca The sheep were driven to the bay shore and secured in a pen One by one they were taken out, and the fleeces carefully washed Within a day or two, shearing followed in the barn

The as sorted; some was reserved to be carded by hand; the remainder was sent to the mills to be turned into rolls Then, day after day, for weeks, the noise of the spinning-wheel was heard, accoirls' feet, as they walked forward and backward drawing out and twisting the thread and running it on the spindle This ork that required some skill, for on the fineness and evenness of the thread the character of the fabric largely depended

Finally, the yarn was carried to the weavers to be converted into cloth

The women of the family found their hands very full in the ”Thirties”

Besides the daily round of housewifely cares, every season brought its special duties There ild strawberries and raspberries to be picked and prepared for daily consu, there was theboth of butter and cheese

There was no nurse to take care of the children, no cook to prepare the dinner To be sure, in households when the as beyond the powers of the faht coh hired, she was treated in all respects as one of the family, and in return was likely to take the same sort of interest in the work, as if the tie that bound her to the faarded as a favour, and not as in any way affecting the girl's social position

The girls in those days were -room They did better execution at a tub than at a spinet, and could handle a rolling-pin more satisfactorily than a sketch-book At a pinch, they could even use a rake or fork to good purpose in field or barn Their finishi+ng education was received at the country school along with their brothers Of fashi+on books and milliners, few of them had any experiences

Country life in Canada was plodding in the ”Thirties” and there was no varied outlook The girls' training for future life was mainly at the hands of their mothers; the boys followed in the footsteps of their fathers Neither sex felt that life was cramped or burdensome on that account They were content to live as their parents had done And though we can see that, as co in such an existence, this at least we know, that, in such a school and by such masters, the foundations of Canadian character and prosperity were laid

Canniff Haight: ”Country Life in Canada in the 'Thirties'”

(Adapted)

He who knows rieves most for wasted time

Dante

HEAT

From plains that reel to southward, dim, The road runs by me white and bare; Up the steep hill it seelare

Upward half-way, or itdustily With idly clacking wheels