Courtesy Statements

In the 18th and 19th Centuries, Courtesy and Manner books became standard in America. These five statements stood out to me after reading through the chapters of Refinement in America. 

1. "Gentility required handwriting, speech, and posture all be properly composed." (Bushman pg. 63) After reading this statement I really wanted to improve my handwriting. I don't think mine is bad right now, but I think that it could use some work. For about 2 days after reading about handwriting, I decided to start writing in cursive again. Well, that didn't last long and I think it looked a lot worse than my print. I guess I'm not very genteel in that area.
2. "To achieve artistic control of one's physical being, a primary rule was to remain erect, to keep the line from the base of the spine through the neck to the back of the head as straight as possible." (pg. 64) This phrase really stood out to me. I know that I have poor posture and my mom has always told me to straighten up. So, I have been trying to do better, but it is such a habit that I have to be consciously thinking about it.
3. "Dress signaled rank and character as surely as posture did [...] the feel, the color, the cut, and the expense of clothing was clear enough to have been earlier codified in law." (pg. 70) I thought about clothes today and how colors have nothing to do with rank. I may just be in a class or in a culture (BYU-Idaho) that doesn't care about clothes. I do know that brands have a lot more to do with rank and status. I think that brands may be the equivalent of the colors, feel, and the cut of clothing.
4. "Genteel aesthetic principles thus took over the process of dining in its entirety, and refined and exalted it." (pg. 76) Another lost art: eating with manners. I know that manners still exist, but for the most part, eating is just a way to get food into the stomach. It is definitely not looked upon as something grand or artistic. 
5. "Conduct  becomes so highly structured that life approaches art: the courtier is himself a work of art, his appearance a portrait, his experience a narrative." (pg.35) To be a work of art, a beautiful masterpiece, was the goal and objective of a genteel life. I think that this has some truth to it, but not in the outward appearance. We are on this earth to become the best people we can. We are here to become refined in our thoughts, deeds, and actions. They just misunderstood the part that had to be refined. I am grateful for the gospel!

Monticello (See image below blog title)

The exterior of Thomas Jefferson's house is simply breathtaking! After recently studying Greek and Roman art and architecture, I can see the features that are very common in the various styles and periods. The columns are a characteristic of architecture that began way back in ancient Greece. Many of the pagan temples erected in Greece began using columns of the Doric order. It slowly transformed into the Ionic order and soon enough, the Corinthian order. Thomas Jefferson used columns on his front porch, a feature of Roman architecture. The dome on the top of his house can be seen in the House of Nero and the Pantheon. The Pantheon is the most well known dome building and it is amazing that they were able to accomplish the amazing building with all so little technology. Just today we watched a video on the Parthenon and the dome they were able to build back then. They said that today, we would not be able to build such a grand dome without using a computer and modern technology. It is easy to see that Thomas Jefferson knew very well the techniques and features of the Classical Greek and Roman era's. The features used show that Jefferson is a very refined and educated man. I am sure that was what he was going for!

Reading Wish List

Low	Medium	High
Tuesday’s Morie- Mitch Albom	Alliance- Gerald N. Lund	Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
The Hunger Game- Suzanne Collins	Count of Monte Cristo- Jacques Peuchet	To The Rescue-Heidi S. Swinton
Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde	Following Christ- Stephen Robsinson	Peacegiver- James L. Ferrell
The 5 Love Languages- Gary Chapman	Cupidity- Kimberly Gardner	David O. McKay, A Beloved Prophet- Mary Jane Wodger
How Do You Know When You’re Really in Love- Robert K. McIntosh	Jesus The Christ- James E. Talmage	Miracle of Forgiveness- Spencer W. Kimball
Anatomy of Peace- Arbinger Institute	Unbroken- Laura Hillenbrand	Seven Habits of Highly Effective People- Steven R. Covey

Old House

Home of John and Abigail Adams.I like this house a lot because it is simple yet beautiful in style. I really like the angle of this picture because it shows the gardens. Gardens were a big part of the house for the Adams and for pretty much all of the Founding Fathers. Gardens became an art form and a way of expressing the personality of the inhabitants of the house. In The Refinement of America, Bushman writes, "From 1750 on, a garden became requisite for every mansion."

Gardens became an extension of the parlor where people could walk and converse in a beautiful outdoor setting. Bushman goes on to say that beside entertaining guests, "the plantings functioned just as pictures, ceramics, or books did --that is, as subjects for conversation." Gardens were more of an artwork during this time period than just for providing a nice place to walk around. I don't think gardens are like this anymore even though I wish that gardens were focused on a little more. It would be nice if people worked a little harder to make their yards look nice. My parents front yard, for example, needs a lot of work. There are really old bushes surrounding the yard. I used to love these bushes but now they are becoming old fashioned and crowding the yard. Maybe some day we will get rid of them.

Ashlawn-Highland Kitchen

John and Abigail Adams seem to have the least fancy house of all the Founding Fathers. It is sort of refreshing because maybe they didn't focus so much on appearances. I can't make a very educated claim on this couple, I haven't read much about them and they're views on materialistic things. I do know that John and Abigail had an amazing relationship. They loved each other very much and always supported each other. I chose to talk about their kitchen. John Adams referred to it as the cellar and never the kitchen. From the way it was presented, he seemed to almost be ashamed of it. I am not sure that is the case though. I like this picture and I like their kitchen. It shows that a lot of hard work and many hours of cooking took place in this kitchen. The cellar was below ground so that things would be kept cool and it wouldn't get too hot during the cooking day. 

Out of all the homes and kitchens we toured, this one seemed more realistic. The other ones were so perfect that it is hard to imagine they cooked and baked and worked hard in there. It may be the restoration efforts and workers. I guess I would want the house to look very neat and fashionable. I guess this house has a natural and worked-in feel to it. 

The Grange

Alexander Hamilton commissioned this house to be built in 1800 and it was finished by 1802. At the time, the house was in an open area of Manhattan, New York City, with no houses around it. The house had a beautiful view of the Hudson river. Although this was Hamilton's house for only 2 years (he was shot in a duel with Aaron Burr), his family lived here for several decades after he passed away. As a Federalist Style home, it stood out as one of the biggest mansions in the area. Alexander called the making of this house his "sweet project" and was very involved in the planning and designing of it. This house has an interesting and very unique history though. In 1889, the Greenwich Village parish of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church bought the land that The Grange was on and wanted to move the house. Yes, they moved the entire house! Well everything except the barn and the old kitchen, those things got left behind. In 2008, the National Park Service decided that the house should be put back into an area that is more like the original context. I think it is so interesting that they moved the entire house! And now they have moved it to a park where it's in an open space. A lot of effort is being put into restoring the house. I think it will be wonderful to look at this house how it might have looked for the two short years while Hamilton lived in it. 

Thomas Jefferson's Bedroom

When the presenters of Thomas Jefferson's house showed his bedroom, I seriously fell in love with it! Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved beds, staircases, windows, etc. that seemed to be in a tucked away and somewhat enclosed space. Jefferson's bed was out of the way and was conveniently placed in the wall so that he could get out of bed on either side of it. One side was his study where he wrote may letters and manuscripts. The furniture and set up of his room really fit the overall function and purpose of it. Today, beds seem to be the main focal point in the bedroom. For the most part, we spend time sleeping while in our rooms so I can see why that is usually the case. Although I do find it fascinating and genius that his bed is out of the way and connects two of Jefferson's most important rooms. I also really like the lighting in this room. There are a lot of windows to allow the sunlight in. On his chair, which I think you can see through the whole above the bed, were two candlesticks, one on each handle. I thought this really showed his dedication to writing. He must have done it many times late at night when there was no more sunlight. This room in Jefferson's house (along with many others) show his creativity and his determination to living a purposeful life. 

John Adams Favorite Dessert

"Apple Pan Dowdy
Apples, like molasses, were a standby in New England Desserts. John Adams showed his preference for Apple Pan Dowdy by having it on Independence Day...
Flour
Salt
Shortening
Ice water
Melted butter
Sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Apples
Molasses
To make the pastry: Sift 1 1/2 cups flour with a dash of salt. Blend in 1/2 cup shortening until the mixture is mealy. Sprinkle a little ice water over the mixture, just enough to hold the dough together. Roll the pastry out, brush with 1/4 cup melted butter, and cut pastry in half. Place the halves on top of each other and cut again. Repeat until you have 16 separate but equal pieces of pastry piled on top of each other, then chill them a full hour. Roll the pastry once again, cut in half, and line the bottom of the baking dish with one half. Save the other half for the top. Keep both on ice while making the filling.To make the filling: Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Peel and core 10 large apples. Cut then into thin slices. Mix the apples with sugar-spice mixture and place in pastry-lined dish. Combine 1/2 cup molasses (or maple syrup) with 3 tablespoons melted butter and 1/4 cup water. Pour this over the apples. Cover with the top pastry layer and seal. Place in a preheated hot (400 degree F.) oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to low (325 degrees F.). After reducing the heat, "dowdy" the dish by cutting the crust into the apples with a sharp knife. Return dish to oven and bake a full hour. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream or with heavy cream or whipped cream. Serves 6."
---Presidents' Cookbook (p. 51-52)

So, maybe I didn't need to put the whole recipe on here, but who knows! Maybe someone that reads this will want to make it. I chose this recipe for a few reasons. One, a couple of nights ago, Jill and I made Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings. We had a colonial feast and it was really great! Although our dumplings took a couple of hours to prepare and bake, they didn't turn out too bad at all. So when I saw this recipe, I appreciated all of the work that it took to make these things. The recipe seems very similar to our apple dumplings, although this is more of a casserole form. Or I guess it would be more of an apple crisp. I looked up the definition of "dowdy" because I didn't know what it meant. In the recipe it says "dowdy" the dish by cutting the crust into the apples. In the Oxford English Dictionary it defines dowdy as "(of a person, especially a woman, or their clothes) unfashionable and unstylish in appearance". I guess cutting the crust down into the apples would make it look unfashionable and messy. I think a lot of the Colonial dishes seem to make things more complicated than necessary. I think today we wouldn't cut the crust down into the apples, and most of our recipes do not call for us to lower the temperature after ten minutes like this one and our apple dumpling recipe.

Martha's Great Cake

Take 40 eggs and divide the whites from the yolks and beat them to a froth. Then work 4 pounds of butter to a cream and put the whites of eggs to it a Spoon full at a time till it is well work'd. Then put 4 pounds of sugar finely powdered to it in the same manner then put in the Yolks of eggs and 5 pounds of flour and 5 pounds of fruit. 2 hours will bake it. Add to it half an ounce of mace and nutmeg half a pint of wine and some fresh brandy.

This huge cake and original recipe is so amazing! 40 eggs is so many and I can't imagine how hard it would have been to stir such a mixture! I can't tell by this picture, but on the Mount Vernon website it said that the cake is now split into two 14 layer cakes, but in Martha's day it would have been one giant layer! I can't help but wonder if she only had this made when they had a lot of house guests or a party. Maybe she loved cake and had it made on any given day, then I wonder how long it would last before going bad. With all this wondering, I can't help but be grateful for the modern conveniences we have today: Fridge, hot water, spices, electric stove, mixing appliances, Broulims! For class today, Jill and I made Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings. It took us about 3 hours, with a modern recipe! I loved Jill's reaction after tasting one fresh out of the oven, "All that work and it tastes so bland!" After they sat in the fridge over night, they tasted really good today. Not too bland. I think as hard as the women of the Colonial Period to make food every day, it's sad they didn't have all the spices and flavors that we do. I love food and the amazing flavors, and I am glad that I live in a day where we can taste foods from all over the world.

Mount Vernon

I love Mount Vernon. I went there when I was 17, just after graduating high school. I wish I had those pictures still but I have no idea where they are. Wow I just found them on my iPod. I was more concerned with the water and plants rather than the actual house itself. I must admit, I remember wanting to leave and feeling a bit bored after a few hours. Now, I want to go back so bad! I would look at everything and take it all in. Now that I have studied much more about Martha and George Washington, I know I would appreciate the house a lot more. There are so many artifacts in the house and the museum that I had the opportunity to see. Yeah, I didn't even think twice. In a way that is how life goes. We learn more and come to appreciate our past experiences. I especially love Mount Vernon because it is a symbol of hard work and love. George first had the house renovated just before he and Martha were married. Throughout their life together, he continued to expand and beautify the house until it became what is now seen at Mount Vernon.