A Hundred Years Ago

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Sunday, April 6, 1913:  Went to Sunday School this afternoon.

The old McEwensville Baptist Church is long gone. It probably was once located somewhere on the lot that contains this yard and house.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma probably was tired after the wonderful “splash” she’d made the previous evening in the class play.

Grandma wrote a  sentence this Sunday similar to one she wrote most Sundays—”Went to Sunday School this afternoon.”—though she often elaborated a bit more.

How was this Sunday similar or different from other Sundays? . . .

Was it a sunny day. . . or a cloudy one? Was it unseasonably hot. . . or unseasonably cold. . . or just a typical April day?

Was the road to McEwensville dry or muddy? If it was muddy, did Grandma wear galoshes or did she carefully try to avoid puddles?

Had church members seen the play the previous evening?—and did they praise her for her great acting?

What was the Sunday School lesson about? Was it interesting? . . . or boring?

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18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Friday, April 5, 1913:  Tonight expect to stand before an audience and make them smile. I caught a fish this afternoon, and I didn’t’ go a fishing either.

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Our play went off pretty well, although we did make some slight mistakes. I cut quite a splash after I was all fixed up. We made over twenty dollars, but our expenses come out of that.

This is the stage in the McEwensville Community Center that Grandma would have stood on a hundred years ago today. Back then the stage was deeper and had curtains. In recent years, the back part of the stage was converted into a storage area.

I can almost picture the room  filled with an attentive audience sitting on rows of chairs.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Yeah!—the class play went well.  $20 from ticket sales doesn’t sound like much—but in 2013 dollars it would be the equivalent of about $500 today.

I bet Grandma in blackface, playing the role of Chloe the servant, made quite a splash—and that she enjoyed every moment of it.

—

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments yesterday. They really help me think about the issues.

When I read the diary, I was surprised that Grandma had once played a role in blackface. I was especially shocked because it brought back another very vivid memory. Let me tell you a personal story—

About ten years ago, right after I got my Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Administration, I interviewed for a faculty position at a university located in a rural area. If I had gotten the job, I would have worked closely with school districts in that area.

During the interview I was told that a nearby rural school district had recently held a school play where some of the white cast members had played the role of Blacks wearing blackface.

I was then asked, “If you worked with this district, what would you do?”

—-

I wish Grandma was still around so that together we could grapple with complex topics and issues. . .

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18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Friday, April 4, 1913:  We practiced for the last time tonight. Am glad it is over. This certainly has been a late to get to bed week for me and I am beginning to feel the effects of it. They blackened me up tonight. I had an awful time a-getting it off my face afterwards.

The play was held in the McEwensville Community Hall

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Whew, I find diary entries like this one really difficult—and hope that you can help me figure out the best way to think about it.

I want to feel happy that the dress rehearsal for the class play went well—but I also want to look at this entry within the larger context of social history.  Let me try to explain–

Grandma played the role of Chloe the servant in the class play. This entry confirms what I think many of us suspected—Grandma wore blackface when she played this role.

According to Wikipedia, blackface was a type of makeup that performers used in the late 19^th century and early 20^th century to “create a stereotyped caricature of a Black person.” It is very controversial; and “played a significant role in cementing and proliferating racist images, attitudes and perceptions worldwide, but also in popularizing black culture.”

A hundred years ago, blackface was accepted and audiences thought that blackface characters were funny. Grandma probably enjoyed hamming it up as she played the role of Chloe.  (Back in January when the play was cast, she’d written, “I am Chloe the negro servant. That was the part I really wanted.)

—-

The civil rights movement in the 1960s brought about so many positive changes. At that time Grandma would have been in her 60s and 70s. Did she ever think back to when she was a teen who played Chloe in blackface?. . .

—-

You may enjoy reading a previous post that I did on a related topic:

How Should Offensive Language in Diaries be Handled?

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18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Sunday, March 30, 1913:  Went to Sunday School this morning. Went to Carrie’s this afternoon and went to church with Rufus this evening. Just got home a while ago. Don’t have my lessons out very well for tomorrow, but anyhow, I’m not going to get them out tonight.

McEwensville

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

I guess the week-end didn’t cure Grandma’s case of “senioritis”.

The previous Thursday she wrote:

Didn’t get home from practice till about half past eleven. So you see I didn’t get my lessons out either.

March 25, 1913

And, on Wednesday she wrote:

Teacher gave the school a lecture, but it was really meant for me. I don’t think what I did was so bad, but I guess I won’t do it again. I might catch it right there.

March 26, 1913

And, she was ready for the week-end on Friday:

Am glad this is the last school day for this week. I guess, I’ll be glad when school stops. Am counting the days.

March 28. 1913

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Grandma sometimes referred to her sister Ruth as Rufus in the diary—especially when she was annoyed with her (though Grandma doesn’t seem annoyed in this entry, so I’m not sure why she wrote Rufus).

Carrie referred to Carrie Stout. She was a friend of Grandma’s and lived on a nearby farm.

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18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Friday, March 28, 1913:  Am glad this is the last school day for this week. I guess, I’ll be glad when school stops. Am counting the days.

Recent photo of McEwensville

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Sounds like Grandma had “senioritis.” She was counting the days until graduation, and two days prior to this diary entry her teacher lectured her on her behavior:

Teacher gave the school a lecture, but it was really meant for me. I don’t think what I did was so bad, but I guess I won’t do it again. I might catch it right there.

Grandma—I have you have a relaxing week-end.

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