The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-01-26
MAT . Dime will Do !

helm admiring. We allude to its efforts to
amelorate the condition Of the poor In
almost every number Of that journal there
is something which shows the solicitude OF
the writer's for the over-worked, poorly paid
and suffering members Of community
Whether real or fictitious, examples are CIV
en- of what can be done with even little
money, and these examples arc encouraging
to the poor that by living fragaly, temper
ately. and economically, they may live well
on their scanty earnings. As an illustration
of this the Tribune gives an example OF how
family can live even in the city of New
York for dime day. Although it may
not apply to tie condition in life OF many
OF our readers, it may nevertheless not be
without having some good effect to read the
illustration -
"We have lately learned lesson, and
we will teach it to you. We learned it OF
q woman--that is, the practical operation of
it-though she says she learned it Of US,
| from something she read about economizing
food in the Tribune.
al had" said she, zone day last week, on
ly one dime in the world and that was TO
feed me aud my four children all day; for
| would not ash for credit and could not
borrow, and | never did beg. did live
through the day, aul did not 60 hungry.
I fed myself and family with the same"
How
] 80. that was not ALL bought fuel too"
4 aWhat, with one dime :"
i .'Yes, with one dime. bought one cents
worth OF coke. because that is cheaper than
coal, and because could kindle i. with a
piece OF paper in my little furnace with two
or three little bits Of charcoal that some
careless boy had dropped in the street just
in my path With three cents bought a
scraggy piece of salt pork, half fat and half
lean. There might have been battle-ground
ofit-the man did not weigh it, Now half
my money was gone, and the show for break
fast dinner and supper was certainly very
poor one With the rest Of my dime |
bought four cents worth of white beans.
By the by, got these at night, and soaked
them in tepid water on a neighbours stove
till morning. had one cent left bought
one cents worth of corn meal, and the gro
Gerry mar gave red-pepper pod
"What Was that for %
"Wait lit;ls-you shall know. OF all
things, peppers and onions are appreciated
BY the poor in winter, because they help to
keep them warm. With my meal | made
three dumplines, and these, with the pork
and the pepper-pod, put into the pot with
the beans and plenty OF water (for the pork
was SALT and Boiled the whole tive hours;
and then we had breakfast, for it was time
for the children to 60 to school. We ate
one Of the dumplings, and each had plate
of the soup for breakfast, and very good
breakfast it was.
81 kept the pot boiling as long as my coke
| lasted, and at dinner we ate half the meat,
| half the soup, and one Of the dumplings.-
/ We had the same allowance for supper;
and the children were better satisfied than
have sometimes seen them when our food
has cost FIVE times as muchs The next day
we had another dime--it was all could earn
| for all could get to do--two pairs Of mems
drawers each day, at five cents pair-and
on that we lived-lived well. We had
change, too, for instead of the corn meal and
beans, ] got four cents worth of cat meal
| and one cents worth OF potatoes, small po-
| tatoes, because could get more of them. l
washed them clean, SO as not to waste any
thing by pairing, and cut them up and boiled
all to pieces with the meat and meal"
(Which went furthest!"
81 can't say. We ate il all each day, and
didn't feel the want of more, though the
children said, Ma, don't you wish we had
| piece of bread and butter, to finish off With
II would have been good, to be sure; but
bless me, what would dimes worth of
bread and butter be for my family But |
had another change next day"
| "What, for another dime :"
| "Yes; that was all we had, day after day.
| We had to live on it. 1t was very hard, to
be sure; but it has taught me something"
"What is that :"
| That poor folks could live great deal
| cheaper and better than they do, it they on
| ly knew how to economic their food. You
/ have told them how. but they are slow TO
learn, or 10th to change from foolish old
practices"
"What was your next change p
| "Oh, yes, was about to tell you that.
| Well, Invent TO the butchers the night be-
| fore, and bought five cents worth OF little
scrap pieces of lean beef, and declare,
| think, got az much as pound, and this l
| cut up into bits, and soaked over night
an all-important process for soup or stew
cooking 1t in the same water. Then |
! bought two cents worth Of potatoes and
one cents worth of meal-that made the
eight cents; two had to go for fuel every
day, and the paper got my purchases in
served for kindlng. The meal wet up in
to stiff dough, and worked out into little
round balls. about as big as grapes, and the
potatoes cut up into slices, and all togeth-
er made stew, or chowder, seasoned with
small onion and part of Pepper-pod that
got with the potatoes. 1t was very good,
but it did not 60 quite SO far as the soup,
eth err day, or else the fresh meat tasted SO
good that we wanted to eat more But
can tell you, small as it may seem to you,
there is a great deal Of good eating in
dime"
So there is-what pity everybody don't
know il. What world of good might be
done with dime
RrlrTrryr Srurrv "A faw davE Al