Learning a Speech

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

Thursday, January 29, 1914: Am learning a speech, sometimes I manage to say quite a bit, and then I get stuck.

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

Hmm. . . Grandma apparently was going to give a speech at church. The previous day she wrote:

Ruth and I went up to town this evening. I am in some kind of a thing that’s to be given in the church. Went up to practice . . .

What was the topic? The minister at her church had recently left, and a new one had not yet been called. Maybe parishioners were trying to fill the gap.

The previous spring, back when Grandma was a high school senior, she was energized when she was in the class play, and when she was a graduation speaker. Hopefully this speech will be equally rewarding.

Here’s a few previous diary entries about how she felt about the play and the graduation speech:

Day of Class Play

. . . Our play went off pretty well, although we did make some slight mistakes. I cut quite a splash after I was all fixed up . . .

April 5, 1913

Working on Graduation Speech

And I have it all written now, but I got it most too long. I know the introduction so I don’t want that to be changed very much.

April 18, 1913

Graduation Day

. . . At last I arrived at the church. We marched in and so on up to the front of the church, where we took seats in uncomfortable chairs and managed to sit out the evening. I recited my essay without a mental breakdown and then at last all was over, after which came congratulations and well wishes. . . .

April 23, 1913

Crocheted Crosses

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

Wednesday, January 28, 1914: Ruth and I went up to town this evening. I am in some kind of a thing that’s to be given in the church. Went up to practice. We had quite a bit of fun even if we did have to work some at making crosses.

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

What fun!. . . Spending a winter evening with friends sounds wonderful. What was the upcoming event at the church that Grandma was practicing for? And, what were the crosses she was helping make?

Maybe they were making crocheted cross bookmarks. I can remember occasionally getting crocheted crosses that church members made when I was a child.

There are lots of different types of crocheted crosses. Directions for making one type are at Moms Love of Crochet.

There’s also a YouTube video about how to make crocheted crosses.

White Oak Tree Identification During the Winter

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

Tuesday, January 27, 1914: Read and practiced and vice versa this afternoon, and so the hours sped on.

White.oak — Source of Pictures: Trees in Winter

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

Reading and practicing the piano—sounds like a nice way to pass a cold winter day. As Grandma transitioned between activities, did she ever glance out the window and see the haunting beauty of trees swaying in the winter wind?

I found an interesting old book called Trees in Winter about how to identify trees during the winter months. (I can’t identity most trees even during the summer—and was amazed that some people can identify them even without their leaves).

Here’s some of the information that the book had about identifying White Oaks during the winter:

White Oak

Habit—A large tree with average height of 50-75 ft. and a trunk diameter of 1-6 ft. somewhat various in habit, tending in the open to show a broad outline, sometimes 2-3 times as broad as high, with short trunk and lower limbs horizontal or declined, characteristically gnarled and twisted.

Bark—Light gray or nearly white, whence its name; broken by shallow fissures into long, irregular, thick scales which readily flake off. On some trees ridges broken into short oblongs give a rougher appearance to bark. Bark up to 2 inches thick in older trees, inner bark light. The bark is rich in tannin, is of medicinal value and is used in tanning.

Twigs—Of medium thickness, greenish-reddish to gray, smooth sometimes covered with a bloom. Lenticels forming conspicuous, light-colored, minute, rounded, raised dots. Leaves frequently remaining on tree throughout winter.

Buds-Broadly ovate, blunt, about 3 mm. long, reddish-brown, sometimes slightly hairy.

Fruit-Maturing in autumn singly or in pairs. Nut-ovoid to oblong rounded at apex, shiny, light chestnut brown, 1.5-2.5 cm. long, enclosed 1/3-1/4 of its length by deep saucer-shaped cup. Meat sweet, edible, sometimes roasted and used as a substitute for coffee, or when boiled said to be a good substitute for chestnuts.

Distribution-On moist or dry ground and in various soils sometimes forming nearly pure forests. Quebec and Ontario, south to the Gulf of Mexico; west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas and Texas.

Wood-Strong, very heavy, hard, tough close-grained, durable, light brown, with thin lighter colored sapwood; the most valuable of the Oaks for timber, used in shipbuilding, for construction and in cooperage, the manufacture of carriages, agricultural implements, baskets, the interior finish of houses, cabinet making, for railroad ties and fences, and as fuel.

Trees in Winter (1916) by Albert Francis Blakeslee and Chester Deacon Jarvis

1914 Hairstyles

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

Monday, January 26, 1914: Nothing to write.

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

Since Grandma didn’t had “nothing to write” a hundred years ago today, I’ll share pictures of hairstyles in the February, 1914 issue of Ladies Home Journal.

This is the third time that I’ve posted hairstyles. It’s fun to see how the styles have changed–and are starting to look a bit more modern– in subtle ways since 1911:

1913 Hairstyles

1911 Hairstyles

“Staid” After Sunday School

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

Sunday, January 25, 1914: We didn’t have church this afternoon as there isn’t any preacher yet. Staid a while after Sunday school and then came home.

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

Recent photo of McEwensville–Was it beginning to get dark when Grandma started walking home from Sunday school? She would have needed to get home in time to milk the cows.

What did Grandma do when she “staid a while after Sunday school?”

Did she chat with her girlfriends? . . .

Hmm . . . another random thought. . . On January 16 Grandma wrote that she had a good time at a party because “he” was there. Did “he” attend her church? . . . Maybe she “staid” to talk with him.

—

This is the third Sunday that Grandma’s church didn’t have a minister. On January 4, 1914 she wrote:

Our minister is going to leave soon. He preached his farewell sermon today.

Was it difficult to get—and keep—ministers in small country churches a hundred years ago? . . . They probably couldn’t pay very much.

Getting Old?

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

Saturday, January 24, 1914: Went to Watsontown this afternoon, though what I went for rather puzzled me after I got started. Was in to the movies. The old pictures are rather hard on my eyes.

Had a nice time coming home through the rain without an umbrella.

Something I almost forgot. Rode downhill three or four times with Jimmie this morning. The road was nice and icy and we went quite a distance. The fun didn’t last very long for me however. I came to the conclusion that I was most too old to ride downhill.

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

If I squint my eyes I can almost see Grandma and her little brother Jimmie sledding how the road in front of their house. Jimmie enjoying every moment; and Grandma having fun, but worried that she looked silly and that her friends might see her acting like a kid.

Awe, to be young again. . . I wish that I was so young that 18 felt old.

1914 Dresses

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

Friday, January 23, 1914: Don’t remember what I did today. My memory is rather leaky.

1914-01-p25.crop — Source: Ladies Home Journal (January, 1914)

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

Sounds like a slow day. Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll share some dress pictures from 1914 issues of Ladies Home Journal.

Source: Ladies Home Journal (October, 1914)

This is the fourth year that I’ve shared dress pictures from Ladies Home Journal. You might also enjoy some of the previous posts.

1913 Dresses

1912 Dresses

1911 Dresses