The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-12-25
A LNdy's Complaint of the Way
the Hard Times Affect Her.

That the times are very hard | hav e
no doubt. Everybody is aware of the
fact. Many are suffering for the want of
bread to eat and fuel to keep them warm.
| But there is another class of sufferers,
among whom / must subscribe myself.
Sufferers who have none of the improvi-
dent habits of to many of the working
| classes-sufferer who never waste their
means in drinking and carousing when
they do have means. But will tell my
| story; l am the wife of clerk in New
York, but living in Brook yn on account
/ of the cheaper rents and more decent ac-
commodatioes. My husband is not a
very brilliant or pushing man, but is very
| faithful and honest. We have a small
family of growing children, with very
halthy appetites and very hard on shoes.
We have been struggling for five years
back to keep a comfortable home for our
! selves and children, he with very small
/ salary, but with hopes of an increase. His
employer has kept these hopes up during
| the past year; by promising that when
| the fall trade opened such should be the
case. The fall came, and with it the
panic, and instead of an increase which
we need, oh, so badly, too! there's low
| ering of the small salary. l have COM
planned before, but this was the last straw
! %, tho o.r,.ols back, and I have broken
| down completely. The panic was none
| of our making nor were We in the slight
est degree responsible for it. We have
never rioted in luxurious living, own no
| bonds, nor stocks, no railroad securities
except Richardson's five cent tickets on
the Fifth avenue cars, so / repeat, it was
not our making. Not one of the long edi-
torials that l read, telling people to re-
trench, can meet our case, as we have
never expanded. We have been fearful
" economical, scraped and pinched in
every way to make both ends meet, lived
on so little that often wonder why there
is so much in the world seeing that we
can get so small a portion, and now the
star of hope that was held out to us this
winter has set, even worse than set, as
some of the little we have had has been
taken away. l am in despair when l find
that l can not buy my roasting piece for
Sunday as usual, or my turkey or ducks
for the holidays. l really do not know
| what to get to eat that is cheap and whole
some, that is, according to my purse. A
great many things are cheap, no doubt to
those who have longer purses than mine.
| Do tell me, or may be some of your cor
respondents can, what may get to eat
that will be cheap and filling for myself
and family. l haYe heard of people who
| live so well on so very little by good
management. l wish some one would
enlighten me on this subject. | have
another, and then | VIII close. | had
saved up in five cent pieces few dollars
to purchase a little silk trimming to re-
trim my winter polonaise, for you must
remember that l go to hear Beecher or
Talmage as my only amusement, and |
always get better seat when | have on
dress that has little approach to the
prevailing style. OF course l thought,
after reading i'll the papers of the terrible
sacrifices that were being made i'll dry
goods, that at least one effect of the panic
/ would benefit me. / went to several of
the leading stores and discovered that
| the actual decrease on prices was that of
few cents on a yard, and similar one
in stockings, when priced some for my
Susie When l mentioned this fact to
| the clerk in attendance, and how different
it was to what supposed, judging from
their advertisements, he told me, very
| tudI a ACddS
ton in such trifing articles as few pairs
of children's stockings and few yards of
trimming silk, but if 1 wanted dress
pattern in such material, he could show
me great bargains. Why didn't he ask
me to buy brown stone house on one of
the avenues? or brougham or Russian
sable set, and what use are reductions to
those who really need them if not in ne
cessarv articles and not in luxuries.
think it is too bad. Think of the money
locked up and hidden away in the banks
and safes of the wealthy; think of the piles
of gold that are coming every day from
abroad, and then think of me with hard
working husband and family of growing
children with, as l said before, fearful
appetites-I do not think that exagger-
ate when I say that my Sam can eat one
and half pounds of meat at a meal, and
that his toes are forever out of bis shoes
wanting the paltry means to buy little
silk to trim my winter polonaise, and to
cover Susie's little legs growing ones)
with stockings. Won't somebody tell me
what to do in both cases? Panic or nc
panic, I am disheartened.
Polly HOPKINS.