rance was both commended and respected on this
Pennsylvania frontier. One historian points out that there was probably
less drunkenness on the frontier than there was in eastern Pennsylvania,
where it was not unusual for young men to get drunk at the taverns or to
drink themselves under the table at weddings or at other social
functions.[64] Drunkards were few and generally despised on the
frontier.[65]

Material values, in a society where possessions, beyond the land itself
and the rude cabin built upon it, are limited, are best gleaned from the
probate records, which listed the prized possessions of this frontier
community. Beds and bedsteads are the items which appear most frequently
in the wills of the Fair Play settlers. Occasionally, the ultimate in
frontier affluence is reached in the form of a "feather Bed."[66] Beds,
or feather beds, and bedsteads were so highly valued as pieces of
furniture that they were often passed on to the daughters, serving as a
substantial part of their dowries.[67] Surprisingly enough, the widow
often received "the room she now sleeps in" or, "her choise of any one
room in the house." This is not so amazing, however, when one realizes
that additional rooms beyond the original one-room cabin quite logically
became highly valued. Pewterware was the silver of the frontier, and, if
the probate records are any indication, there was little of it and no
silver. Aside from references to furniture such as spinning wheels,
bureaus, tables, and chairs, and these not too regularly, it is quite
evident that material possessions were few.

What then was the nature of Fair Play society? The frontier, by its very
nature, had an egalitarian influence which is readily apparent from this
analysis of the "style of life" along the West Branch. A relative
political and social equality existed in this land of economic
opportunity where faith, patriotism, helpfulness, and self-determination
were the outstanding traits. The frontier brought the democratizing role
of achievement to the fore in American life, and the Fair Play settlers
were an excellent example.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] _See_ Chart 1 in Chapter Two.

[2] Smith, _Laws_, II, 195.

[3] _Pennsylvania Archives_, Third Series, XIX, 557-805.

[4] For example, in the County Assessments for 1781, _Pennsylvania
Archives_, Third Series, XIX, 468, 484, the individual holdings of
resident property owners range from 50 to 1,500 acres, whereas
non-residents