INDUSTRIES, MANNERS, AND CUSTOMS
The Pilgrims have a hard struggle
51. How the New England Colonists Lived. The Puritans and the Pilgrims had a hard struggle in their new homes. The winters were long and colder than in England. For the cold weather they had to build warm houses and barns, and store up much grain, hay, and provisions. The summers were cool and short; tobacco and even corn did not ripen so well as in Virginia. Most of the land was hilly and stony and hard to cultivate. But these things did not discourage the settlers, who merely worked so much harder. Soon they raised all the corn, wheat, cattle, and sheep they needed, and even had some left to sell. Where the streams had waterfalls they built mills with big water wheels. In these they ground their flour and meal and sawed their lumber.
While the men farmed the land, or ran mills, or fished, the women also did their share of the work. They made butter and cheese, spun and wove the wool into cloth, and made many other things which now we buy from stores.
The Pilgrims build towns and villages
Unlike the Virginia colonists, many people of New England lived in towns and villages. They built churches, schools, and town halls. All the people went to church. Most of the children attended school. Whenever any question arose in which every one was interested, they talked it over at the town meeting. In these ways the New England colonists differed from the Virginians.