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

Saturday, September 30, 1911: Went to Watsontown this morning. Had to get a toothbrush and some stockings. Had to husk some corn this afternoon. It was my first attempt, so you see the piles of corn wouldn’t span out so rapidly. In addition to this I got stung by a bumble bee. How it did swell my thumb. Gee whiz!

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

A hundred years ago people in rural areas generally did not have electricity; many did not have telephones, and there were outhouses instead of bathrooms. Cars were a rarity; and it was a huge process to do laundry.

Yet, surprisingly—at least to me—you could go into a store and buy a toothbrush and stockings in 1911.  Until I read this entry, I never thought about whether people had toothbrushes a hundred years ago, but I don’t think that I would have guessed that these consumer goods were commercially available.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

It’s only late September. I’m surprised that the corn was dry enough to husk.

There must have been more insects a hundred years ago. This is the third time since June that Grandma has mentioned a bee sting (see June 21 and July 8).

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

Wednesday, September 27, 1911: All my fears, my doubts are over. Mollie and I are just in clover. She stands to perfection. She is entirely broken, hers indeed is a gentle nature, almost the opposite of her owner.

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

Mollie was Grandma’s cow. She had her first calf in August and it was sold two days prior to this diary entry. Grandma worried that the young cow would not take kindly to being milked—but Mollie apparently stood still and didn’t kick.

It’s interesting how Grandma compared herself to the cow. She said that the cow had been broken and had a gentle nature—but that she’s the opposite

This implies that Grandma considered herself to be feisty, energetic, a firebrand, a rabble-rouser.  . . .

I’d also argue that she was self-reflective.

I’m not sure whether Grandma saw these attributes as good or bad. Women a hundred years ago were generally encouraged to be obedient and to subsume personal desires. However, the suffragettes were active in urban areas —so maybe Grandma was able to see her spirited personality in a positive way.

But my gut feeling is that Grandma didn’t appreciate the value of these traits. Grandma was probably constantly told  by her parents and others that she was stubborn—and, reading between the lines– I sense that she was trying to change herself so that she was better behaved like the cow.

I know that I can’t change the past so I shouldn’t even go there, but I really, really hope that Grandma wasn’t too hard on herself.  A little feistiness is much better than a broken spirit.

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

Sunday, September 24, 1911: Went to Sunday School this afternoon. Only learned seven verses for today usually have twenty-seven. Was fooling with Jimmie tonight sprinkling him with water, but pretty soon he gave me a regular dunking (almost a whole tin cup full I judge) when I least expected it. Had to hang my dress up to dry.

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

Jimmie was Grandma’s six-year-old brother. Sometimes when you tease little brothers they get even.

Memorizing Bible Verses

Whew, I can’t even imagine having a goal of memorizing 27 Bible verses a week. In fact, I can’t even imagine memorizing 7 Bible verses per week. Grandma was trying to memorize 700+ Bible verses for Sunday School so that she’d get a free Bible.  The diary entry from the previous Sunday said:

One reason for my regular attendance is that if you learn a number of verses from the Bible (over 700 it is) you will in the course of time receive a Bible.

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

Friday, September 22, 1911: Had such an awful time this morning. Everything seemed to have something wrong about it. Decided to clear out this afternoon and have some peace, so I walked over to Ruthie’s school and made her a visit.

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

Grandma didn’t have school on this day. McEwensville High School was closed on both Thursday and Friday so students could attend the Milton Fair. She’d gone to the fair on Thursday—so she was at home on this Friday morning.

Did Grandma and her mother had a disagreement over what she should be doing? . . maybe washing the dishes vs. reading? . . . or doing the laundry vs. relaxing? . . . or . . .

I’m not sure exactly which school her sister Ruth taught at—but it probably was one of the one-room school houses near McEwensville. It seems odd that it was in session when the McEwensville School gave students the day off.

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

Wednesday, September 20, 1911: Guess this was our teacher’s last day, and I’m not sorry. Our real teacher is coming next Monday so I have heard. Papa and Mamma and Jimsey went to the fair this afternoon. I expect to go tomorrow if the weather is favorable. We have Thursday and Friday off for the fair.

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

The students at McEwensville High School have had a substitute teacher since the beginning of the school years (see yesterday’s post for more details).

McEwensville High School and the primary school shared a building (the high school was on the second floor; Grades 1-8 were on the first). Apparently the primary school didn’t have classes a hundred years ago today—since Grandma’s little brother Jimmy went with her parents to the fair. I wonder why the high school had school. You’d think that two schools would have been on the same schedule.

Well as least she got Thursday and Friday off—and is ready for some fun.

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

Sunday, September 17, 1911: Went to Sunday School this morning. I usually get there every Sunday. In fact I haven’t missed going since in January. One reason for my regular attendance is that if you learn a number of verses from the Bible (over 700 it is) you will in the course of time receive a Bible. I got a test of merit and a book this morning.

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

Whew, I can’t even imagine memorizing more than 700 Bible verses. It sounds like Grandma’s part way through the task.  If it was me, I think that I’d give up before I even started.

Will she do it? . . .or will she give up?

This entry resolves one mystery. It explains why Grandma was so determined to attend Sunday school each week– even though she often was the only student in her class. For example, the previous week Grandma wrote:

Went to Sunday School this afternoon. I was the only one in my class today. It has happened that way for the past three Sundays. It is simply provoking the way the other girls attend Sunday School.