A Busy Day

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

Saturday, March 1, 1913:

The month of March, ah welcome sound

You bring to us a coming spring.

Where glimpse of leaf and budding flower,

Awake to us this glorious thing.

Today was a busy one for me. Ma got mad at me, but it’s over by this time. Rufus has gone up to Tweet’s to stay til tomorrow evening. I got my fee in advance.

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

There’re lots of nicknames in this entry. Rufus referred to Grandma’s sister Ruth. Grandma often called her Rufus in the diary—especially when she was upset with Ruth. Tweet was their friend Helen Wesner.

I think that on a typical day Grandma and Ruth shared the daily farm chores, and each milked several cows. Grandma probably had to do all of the chores herself since Ruth was away—though it sounds like she made Ruth pay her.

Why did Grandma’s mother get mad? Since it was a busy day, maybe Grandma failed to do something or didn’t do it to her mother’s satisfaction.

___

On the first day of every month Grandma included a poem in the diary.

School Dismissed Early

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

Friday, February 28, 1913: We got out of school real early this afternoon, so I visited the Primary awhile.

Recent photo of abandoned building that once housed McEwensville High School. — Recent photo of building that once housed the McEwensville Schools.

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

This diary entry reminds me of how different the school Grandma attended was from schools today.

The McEwensville School building housed both a primary school (grades 1-8) on the first floor and a high school on the second floor. There were just two teachers in the building—a primary teacher and a high school teacher. Both teachers would have taught multiple grades and subjects.

Since Grandma was writing in the diary for herself (and not for readers a hundred years later) she skipped many of the details. Here’s my interpretation of this entry—

Although Grandma got out of school early, she probably needed to stay until the primary students were dismissed. Her 7-year-old brother Jimmie was in second grade. Even though she almost never mentioned walking to and from school with her little brother in the diary—they probably walked together every day.

A Good Day, But Raining Cats and Dogs

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

Monday, February 24, 1913: Had an exam in Geometry this morning. Wasn’t hard after all. Tis raining cats and dogs tonight.

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

Yeah! Grandma, I hope you got a 100%. Easy tests are the best.

—

In spite of the evening rain, it sounds like a good day. I picture Grandma listening to the rain drops hit the window as she drifted peacefully off to sleep.

A Typical Day for a Farm Kid a Hundred Years Ago

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

Wednesday, February 26, 1913: We practiced tonight.

Source: Kimball's Dairy Farmer Magazine (April 1, 1913) — Source: Kimball’s Dairy Farmer Magazine (April 1, 1913)

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

Grandma was referring to play practice. She had the role of Chloe, the servant, in the class play.

Here’s my best guess as to what Grandma’s schedule looked like on this date a hundred years ago:

It was probably still dark when Grandma got up and dressed in work clothes.
Went to the barn to feed and milk the cows.
Came back to the house, ate a quick breakfast, and changed into school clothes.
Walked 1 1/2 miles to McEwensville.
Attended school.
Walked 1 1/2 miles home after school.
Grabbed a quick snack—and changed into work clothes.
Went to the barn to do the evening chores (clean the cow stalls, feed cows, milk cows). She may have also fed the chickens and gathered eggs.
Went back to the house and ate a quick supper.
Changed into clean clothes and walked 1 1/2 miles to McEwensville.
Participated in play practice.
Walked 1 1/2 miles home.
Did homework.
Wrote this brief entry in the diary.
Went to bed.

Whew, I’m exhausted just thinking about Grandma’s schedule. I probably don’t have all the details exactly right—maybe someone gave her a ride home after play practice . . . or maybe her little brother Jimmie gathered the eggs. . . or. . . . maybe she didn’t do any homework. . .

But, even if Grandma only did three-quarters of the things on this list (and my gut feeling is that she did most of them), she had one crazy, busy day.

Hundred-Year-Old History Review Questions on the American Revolution

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

Tuesday, February 25, 1913: I’ve forgotten. Finished essay.

Picture caption: The Siege of Charleston, After the picture by Chappel (Source: American History for Schools, 1913)

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

Yeah, Grandma! I bet it feels good to have finished the essay on the American Revolution that you’ve been working on for almost two weeks. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you win the two and a half dollar gold piece that your teacher is going to give to the student who wrote the best essay.

—

I’m still having fun reading the chapter on the American Revolution in the 1913 American History textbook that I quoted in several previous posts.

Here are a few of the review questions at the end of the chapter:

1. If modern battleships had been in use during the Revolution, would the outcome of the war been different?

2. Did the British government have any sound basis, moral or legal, for its policy of coercion?

3. In your opinion, what was the most important battle of the war?

4. How was the Revolution an aid to the cause of liberty everywhere?

5. Name some of the serious problems that confronted the Americans when the war was over?

6. How do you account for the success of the American navy?

American History for Schools (1913) by R.B. Cousins and J.A. Hill

For previous posts on the American Revolution from the same 1913 textbook see:

American Revolution as Described in 1913 Textbook

1913 Perspectives on the Importance of the American Revolution

Having Fun Being the President

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

Friday, February 21, 1913: Our Literary Society met again today. It is rather fun being president.

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

Two weeks earlier, on February 7, Grandma wrote:

We had our literary meeting this afternoon and also elected officers to take the place of the old ones. They had to go and elect me president.

When I posted that entry, I was uncertain whether Grandma was secretly pleased that she was the new president or if she had qualms.

In any case, I’m glad Grandma was now enjoying her new role.

I wonder what she liked about being president:

Did she like being able to choose what the Society did?
Did the presidency may her feel more popular?
Did she like the power?
Did she . . . ?

American Revolution as Described in 1913 Texbook

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

Thursday, February 20, 1913: Am working at my essay. I have it pretty well on its way.

Map Titled Land Claims of the Thirteen Original Colonies in American History for Schools (1913) — Map Titled “Land Claims of the Thirteen Original Colonies” in American History for Schools (1913)

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

Grandma was writing an essay on the American Revolution. Her teacher was going to give a two and a half-dollar gold piece to whoever wrote the best essay.

The American Revolution seems like an awfully broad topic. There must have been some additional directions to narrow it down—but they didn’t make it into the diary.

I found an American History textbook that was published in 1913. Here’s how the chapter on the American Revolution began:

The Revolutionary War

In the war which she had begun, Great Britain would find both advantage and difficulty in the geographical conditions of the country which she had undertaken to subdue.

The coast line, indented with harbors, and with rivers flowing into the sea at convenient intervals, at first offered to a powerful navy little resistance beyond that of inertia, which condition, however, might prove distinctly embarrassing from the fact that it was temporary and therefore invited a naval commander to possible destruction through necessity for his acting with extreme haste in seizing important towns on the seaboard. But in holding even Boston, the storm center of insurgency, the British power was already largely occupied; and , in the end, events proved that while the coast towns might be taken, their capture would cost more than the results were worth; for the strength of the American colonies was not in the cities, but in the rural regions, where every man and boy knew every stream and mountain, and a column of British never left the coast and marched into the interior without sooner or later coming to grief. . . .

American History for Schools (1913) by R.B. Cousins and J.A. Hill