My family visited Old Sturbridge Village on Memorial Day. It was a beautiful afternoon, and we had a fun time learning about 18th and 19th century life. We visited the grist mill and saw corn being ground into meal. We also learned that's where the phrase "milling about" originated. Farmers would gather at the mill with their corn, and as they waited their turn with the miller, they would talk with each other and "mill about."
We also went into the Meetinghouse, the colonial version of a congregational church. Our New England ancestors would spend two hours each Sunday morning and two hours each Sunday afternoon in the Meetinghouse. They would sing hymns, pray, listen to sermons and fellowship with one another. It was a time when Sundays were set aside for worship and family - not a bad cultural habit.
The Meetinghouse was filled with boxed pews, each with a little gate. Parishioners who wanted a reserved seat each Sunday could purchase a pew box. Interestingly, the more expensive pews were at the front! The idea of selling reserved seating to church is clearly objectionable to our modern view of Biblical standards, but to them it was a way of showing commitment to God and to the community.
What was most interesting about the pew boxes is that each family decorated their box as they wanted and could afford. Some had carpeting or a padded seat. Some had arm rests and foot stools. There's something compelling about this practice, that they planned to be at church every Sunday for several hours and made an effort to make their time in church comfortable and enjoyable instead of looking for ways to get in and get out as quickly as possible.
The biggest impression Old Sturbridge Village left with me was the joy and simplicity of a slow paced life. We watched a potter take several minutes to form a simple drinking cup. The blacksmith skillfully heated, pounded and moulded a single iron nail. A man sheared a sheep for over half an hour -- a task made longer when the sheep wrestled free and ran back to its pin! People worked hard but they didn't rush. We could learn from people who milled about with each other and decorated their church pews and carefully did their work to the glory of God.
