This year, due to the COVID epidemic, many gatherings and parades will not be happening (at least I hope that people have the correct mindset to not create events that will spread this deadly flu). In the past I’ve written several articles about the history of Veterans Day.
To all veterans who read this story, THANK YOU for your service.
New Hampshire in WWI: ARMISTICE
New Hampshire Veterans Day and Its Heroes
Ten Essential Tasks for U.S. Genealogists on Veterans Day
I ask my blog followers to simply read this article in its entirety before coming to any conclusions. Explanations on the source of this article, and a bit of the history, can be found immediately following. History often repeats itself. That which we think is unique to us and our current events, may not be.
TIRED OF POLITICS
Every day, and from all parties, we hear the remark, “I wish election was over, I’m tired of politics.” Nor are we astonished at it. For it has been politics at breakfast, politics at dinner, politics at supper, politics in the parlor, politics everywhere. The thing has been carried to an absurdity. It has affected business, soured old friendships, and even sown dissensions in families. Well may it be said, “I am tired of politics.” People see also that much of what they read about politics in newspapers, and hear from stump speakers is either false in fact or sophistical in argument, and very frequently both. Continue reading
George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. “The ghostly gathering.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-9838-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
“The following extract from an English book of antiquities and popular customs, gives a very interesting account of the ancient manner of celebrating the day or rather night. The celebration of the day has somewhat died out but there are doubtless many in Nashua who will tonight, in some small way, take note of the fact that it is Halloween.
There is perhaps no night in the year which the popular imagination has stamped with a more peculiar character than the evening of the 31st of October, known as All Hallow’s Eve, or Hallowe’en. It is clearly a relic of pagan times for there is nothing in the church observance of the Day of All Saints to have originated such extraordinary notions as are connected with this celebrated festival, or such remarkable practices as those by which it is distinguished. Continue reading
Photograph of a Pounce Box, circa 1789-1793, used by Paine Wingage (1739-1838) of Stratham NH. Gift of Dana Wingate Baker. New Hampshire Historical Society Online Catalog. Used with Permission.
“Wafers stain’d with motley hue,
Ye low, black, white, red, and blue;
Wax that holds the strongest paper,
Wax to burn in rolls or taper;
Folding knives to fit your hand,
Rulers, pounce and shining sand…” Excerpt of advertisement poem from New-Hampshire Spy newspaper, 17 June 1788, Portsmouth NH, page 64.
I was recently browsing the New Hampshire Historical Society’s Collection Catalog (online) when I came across an interesting photograph of an artifact– a “Pounce Box.” It was a surprising find for me, in that I had no idea of what it was, or how it was used. Continue reading
Old print of Concord from Adventures of America, Internet Archive.
Originally this story was part of one entitled: “Concord New Hampshire: A Year of Celebration in 2015.” Upon review 5 years later, and hearing many message board comments promoting fake news, I’ve decided that this topic should have its own headline.
History is a mix of real events, personal opinion and mixed messages. We’ve all heard that quote that history is written by the victors. In actuality it goes much further than that. Somehow we think that it is only recently that fake news has appeared, and it was all perfect before now. How wrong could we be? People talk about revisionist history as if it is a terrible thing–it is not always bad to review what happened with an unprejudiced eye.
