Puritans and Urine. No, really.

[novangla]

For class, one week we had selections from the Diary of Samuel Sewall and the "Diary" of Cotton Mather -- they were contemporaries, both Puritans of the late 1600s

Comments

[teaberryblue]

But what about poop?

[novangla]

Strangely, lacking in any mentions of poop so far.

[teaberryblue]

Maybe that's why they were so constipated.

[oliveoyl]

That Cotton Mather thing is hysterical. I vow to think of God every time I pee! OH, PURITANS.

[novangla]

Ohhhhhhh, Puritans.

I'm pretty sure Cotton Mather vowed to think of God every time anything happened, ever, preferably if he could make a pun or wordplay out of it.

There's a story that when young Franklin first returned Boston he had a visit with Mr. Mather, who is said to have had a lasting influence on him, both in science and in witty advice. On the way out through a back hall, Mather said, STOOP! STOOP! Benjy missed the warning and hit his head on the beam, which won him a little lesson from Cotton about how he who goes through life with his head not held too high will avoid many thumpings.

[osprey_archer]

SO TRUE. I feel like kids would get into pilgrims and Puritans a lot more if teachers shared facts like this.

[lovmelovmycats]

What pearls of piety would Small Hope derive from urinating, I wonder.

[novangla]

:D

I WILL HAVE TO EXPLORE THIS ISSUE FURTHER.

[spiralstairs]

Outstanding! XD I'm taking a class right now on the history of medicine and the human body, so I must remember to bring this up when we get to the Puritans.

[novangla]

XD

What an interesting class! Cotton Mather also happened to be one of the pioneering proponents of inoculation -- he read about it being used in the Middle East and got excited and talked to doctors who supported it and tried to get it going in Boston. It was an effort that a lot of his pox-ridden neighbors did not appreciate as much as they should've. They freaked out and said he was being crazy, and this was just like when he supported the Salem trials.