Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-09-24
Old Times.

Half century ago large part of the
people of the United States lived in houses
unpainted, upholstered, and utterly devoid
OF comfort. A well fed fire in the yawning
chasm OF huge chimney gave partial
warmth to the single room, and it was a
common remark that the inmates were roast
ing one side while freezing the other; in
contrast majority of the people of the older
states now live i'll houses that are clap
boarded, painted, blinded, and comfortably
warmed Then the household furniture
consisted of a few plain chairs, plain
table, bedstead made by the village car
penter Carpets there were none To-day
few are the homes in the city or country
that do not contain carpet of some sort,
while the average laborer by weeks work
may earn enough to enable him to repose at
night upon spring bed. Fifty years ago
the kitchen "dressers were set forth with
a shining row Of pewter plates. The farmer
ate with buck-handled knife and an iron
or pewter spoon, but advancing civilization
has sent the plates and spoons to the melt
ing pot, while the knives and forks have
given place to nickel or silver-plated cutlery.
In those days the utensils for cooking were
dinner.pot, tea-kettle, skillet, Dutch oven
and frying-pan; to-day there Is no end of
kitchen furniture. The people of 1880 sat
in the evening in the glowing light of
pitch-knot fire, or read their weekly news
papers by the Pickering light of "tallow
dips" now, in the city and village their
apartments are bright with the flame of the
gas-jet, or the softer radiance of kerosene.
Then, if the fire went out upon the hearth,
it was rekindled by coal from neighborng
hearth, or by flint, steel and tinder. Those
who INDUCED in pipes or cigars could light
them only by some hearth stone. To-day
we light fires and pipes by the dormant fire.
works in the match-safe at cost of one
hundredth of cent. In those days we
guessed the hour of noon, or ascertained it
by the creeping of the sunlight up to the
"noon mark drawn upon the floor. Only
the well-to-do could afford clock. To-day
who does not carry watch ? And as for
clocks you may purchase them at wholesale,
by the cart load, at sixty-two cents apiece.
Fifty years ago how many dwellings were
adorned with pictures How many are
there now that do not display print, en-
craving, chrome or lithograph How many
pianos or parlor organs were thero then
Reed organs were not invented until 1880,
aud now they are in every village. Some
who may read this article will remember
that IN lo3O the Bible, the almanac aud the
few textbooks used in school were almost
the only volumes in the household. The
dictionary was volume four inches square
and an inch and half in thickness. In
some of the country villages a few public
spirited men had gathered libraries con-
tanning from three hundred to five hundred
volumes in contrast, the public libraries of
the present, containing more than ten thou
sand volumes, have an aggregate of ten
million six hundred and fifty thousand
volumes, not including the Sunday-school
and private libraries of the country. 1t is
estimated that altogether the number of
volumes accessible to the public is not less
than twenty millions. OF Websters and
Worcester's dictionaries, it may be said that
enough have been published to supply one
to every one hundred inhabitants of the
United States.-AAdntic.