Africa in 1913–Lagos, Nigeria

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

Wednesday, October 22, 1913:

10/20 – 10/24: It’s been so rainy and dreary this week that I begin to feel awful grouchy. I certainly am under the weather these days. Any way October never was a favorite month of mine. I don’t have much to write about for her.

Lagos, Nigeria (Source: A Woman's Winter in Africa, 1913) — Lagos, Nigeria (Source: A Woman’s Winter in Africa, 1913)

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

This is the third of five days that Grandma combined into one diary entry. Sometimes her world seems so small. In the nearly three years that I’ve been posting the diary, she seldom traveled more than five miles from her home—and the longest trip she took was a train trip which took her about 15 miles so that she could visit relatives who lived in the next county.

The world was a much bigger place a hundred years ago for a few fortunate women. For example, Charlotte Cameron was a wealthy, English woman who traveled to interesting places and wrote books about her adventures In 1913 she published A Woman’s Winter in Africa: A 26,000 Mile Journey.

Mrs. Cameron went around the entire circumference of Africa. She visited many port cities—and from time to time took train trips inland.

In 1913, the colonial era was at its peak in Africa; and Mrs. Cameron visited Europeans who worked at many of the colonial outposts. She also sought to understand African culture—and sometimes framed things differently than we would today.

I was surprised how modern some of the areas were. Here’s a few excerpts from the chapter on her visit to Lagos, Nigeria:

Lagos is extremely modern, and am enjoying all the advantages of an up-to-date town. In 1898 electric light was introduced.

The European population consists of some 572 males and 36 females, while the natives number from 70,000 to 80,000. As the town is situated only five degrees north of the Equator, the heat may be imagined. Climatically it is very moist, with much fever, and English ladies as a rule do not remain more than six months or a year.

The town of Lagos covers over two square miles, and there are innumerable streets, especially in the crowed native town. Never shall I forget visiting the bazaars. Medleys of colour greet the eye on every side. Old and young, rich and poor, are struggling for existence—a colony of tribes, speaking a multitude of languages and dialects.

Through the labyrinthine windings I strolled. Most of the buildings are in corrugated iron, but some of bamboo, with palm-thatched roofs, while reed curtains and matting exclude the inquisitive sun and prevent it damaging the wards. Yams find constant purchases, and calabashes are popular. Bananas, oranges, mangos, avocado pears, coconuts, sweet potatoes, cassavas, and plantains disappear like magic.

We feel like we have viewed this kaleidoscope sufficiently for one morning, and take our places in the motor-car which has had a long wait. On arrival at Government House, luncheon is served. In the cool and shady dining-room with the punkah’s soft and silent breeze and our English comforts, we feel the contrast with the mobs we have just left behind.

1913 Hair Extender (Switch) Advertisement

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

Tuesday, October 21, 1913: It’s been so rainy and dreary this week that I begin to feel awful grouchy. I certainly am under the weather these days. Any way October never was a favorite month of mine. I don’t have much to write about for her.

Source: Ladies Home Journal (October, 1013)

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

Did Grandma read Ladies Home Journal to while away the time on cold, rainy days?

And, now that the corn harvest was finished—and Grandma had been paid for helping husk corn—did she dream of using her money to improve her looks? . . . Maybe she wanted some of the hair switches advertised in the October, 1913 issue of Ladies Home Journal.

Do Months Have Genders?

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

Monday, October 20, 1913:

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

Hmm. . . it’s interesting that Grandma thought of October as a “her”

Do months have genders? . . . and if so is October, a feminine month?

I don’t think of months as a him or a her, but if I assigned genders to months, I’d make the pleasant warm months feminine ones, and the cold, wet ones masculine ones.

This brings back vague memories of my high school Spanish class. I think that in Spanish the names of all months were masculine words.

Confusing Diary Entries

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

Sunday, October 19, 1913: Went to Sunday School this afternoon. Then it commenced to rain, but got home alright after all.

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

Hmm—I don’t quite get this diary entry.

What was Grandma trying to say?. . . that it quit raining before Sunday School ended? . . . that someone gave her a ride home in a buggy? . . . that she walked home in the rain, but didn’t catch a cold? . . . that someone loaned her an umbrella?

Perhaps, I shouldn’t worry about not quite understanding diary entries like this one. It doesn’t sound like Grandma was recording anything very interesting or important. . . but somehow I find it annoying when I can’t figure out what she was trying to say.

Corn Harvest Finished!!!

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

Saturday, October 18, 1913: At last my job is finished. I call it about 600 bushels more or less. This will add some to my spending money.

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

Yeah, Grandma! You’ve worked incredibly hard husking corn. 600 bushels is a lot of corn. You began husking corn about three and a half weeks ago—on September 25.

On the October 11, you wrote that you’d received partial payment of $12 for your work. How much were you paid in total?

And, PLEASE tell us what you bought when you spend the money.

—

Based on the information about the number of bushels Grandma harvested in this diary entry, I now realize that I over-estimated how many bushels Grandma had harvested as of October 6 when she wrote that she’d husked about ten wagon loads of corn.

At that time I estimated that Grandma had husked about 1,000 bushels of corn—when actually during the entire harvest she only husked 600 bushels. The wagon loads must have been smaller than I thought.

(I didn’t say that quite right. 600 bushels is still an awfully lot of corn—and I shouldn’t be minimizing how much work Grandma did because of my estimation errors.)

Note to self—Work further ahead (or at least look further ahead ) so I don’t make silly mistakes like this in the future.

1913 Airplane Pictures

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

Friday, October 17, 1913:

10/13 – 10/17: Nothing worth writing about for these days. Don’t go any place or do anything of much importance.

Caption: The above photograph illustrates a Deperdussin monoplane filtted with dual contraol so that two pilots can alternately take charge while in flight. — Caption: The above photograph illustrates a Deperdussin monoplane fitted with dual control so that two pilots can alternately take charge while in flight. Source: Aviation: *An Introduction to the Elements of Flight*

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

Since Grandma didn’t write anything specific for this date, I’m going to share some fun pictures from a book published in 1913 called Aviation: An Introduction to the Elements of Flight by Algernon E. Berriman.

Here’s how Chapter 1 begins:

Everyone nowadays is familiar with the appearance of an aeroplane, but many, nevertheless do not know what, scientifically speaking, an aeroplane is. . .

Caption: The pilot is seen seated in a Bleriot monoplane, which is about to start. The mechanics are holding on to the fuselage against the pull of the propeller.

Caption: In the photograph, which shows one of the Royal Aircraft Factory’s biplanes, the mechanic has just released the propeller and is getting clear of its rotation.

Caption: A view can be seen of the control wheel in front above which is a map holder. On the right is a compass.

Caption: A Bleriot monoplane descending and a Farman-type biplane ascending. The biplane is flying away from the camera and the monoplane is approaching from above.

I wonder if the teen who wrote the diary ever thought that she’d ride in an airplane.

Fast forward 50+ years– I can remember picking Grandma up at the Williamsport (PA) airport when she was in her early 70s. She flew back to Pennsylvania after visiting relatives in the Detroit area. She complained about not being able to hear after she got off the plane. I think it was the first time she had ever flown—and she was flustered and wasn’t sure whether she liked flying (though I think that she was proud of herself for being so adventuresome).

The Goop Directory

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

Thursday, October 16, 1913:

10/13 – 10/17: Nothing worth writing about for these days. Don’t go any place or do anything of much importance.

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

This is the fourth of five days that Grandma combined into one entry. Since she didn’t write anything specific for this date I’m sharing several pages from a fun children’s book published in 1913 that I found.

The book is called The Goop Directory and contains short scenarios of children who were naughty—or, using the terminology in the book, “Goops.”

The book that I have was well-loved—perhaps that isn’t exactly the right term—and some pages have coloring on them.

Other pages have remnants of names written in pencil that were later erased. I can just picture a child going through the book and identifying which of their playmates were like each of the characters in the book. Obviously a Goop once owned this book!