07/08/1849 - Base Ball and Manure
July 4th was on a Wednesday this year so we did not have the opportunity to follow father's yearly celebration. He is convinced that someday in the future, the anniversary of the signing of our country's Declaration of independence will become an official holiday.
He keeps proposing the holiday to our state assembly and senate members but has never received even the curtesy of a reply. I suggested he write to our senator in congress but he has no more hope of getting the newly elected William Seward's attention than that of the local governance. "Dang bunch of Whigs! is what I get every time I bring up the idea. I must agree - if our Free Soil party and the Hunkers can't get their heads together, our fractured Democratic party will be out of power 'till the next century!
Well - I digressed. The point of this letter was to tell you that we did celebrate father's holiday after church this Sunday. We had a grand time playing the new game of base ball. One of the Doremus boys made a trip to New York City last fall and brought back a ball. He also brought a picture of the now famous New York Knickerbockers (named after the fire station in Manhattan that started the game). They look really swell in their uniforms.
We have all the official rules in writing and pretty much follow them. But there is a tendency to ignore the rule about not throwing the ball at a runner. It's particularly fun to do so when the ball has been hit into a pile of fresh cow manure in the outer field. I saw mother laughing when I got squarely hit while running between the 1st and 2nd bases. But she tried to look stern as she grumbled at having to clean the stench off my Sunday best. Sad to say, my team lost 24 to 6.
I hope you summer is progressing nicely and that all your family is well.
Your Faithful Correspondent,
Chauncey Sherman Seckner
