The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-03-26
What "Old Times" Meant.

half century ago large part of the peo
pie of the United States lived in houses un-
painted, upholstered and utterly devoid OF
adornment. A well fed fire in the yawning
chasm of huge chimney gave partial warmth
to single room, and it was q common re-
mark that the inmates were roasting one side
while freezing the other; in contrast, a ma
jority of the people of the older States now
live in houses that are clapboarded. painted,
blinded and comfortably warmed. Then, the
household furniture was few plain chairs,
and plain table bedstead made by the vii
lage carpenter. Carpets there were nome
To-day few are the houses, in 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 shining row of pewter plates.
The farmer ate with buck-handled knife
and an iron or pewter spoon, but the advanc-
ing civilization has sent the plates and spoons
to the melting pot, while knives and forks
have given place to nickle or slver-plated
cutlery.
In those days the utensils for cooking were
dinncr-pot, tea-kettle, skillet, Dutch oven
and frying pan; to-day, there is no end of
Kitchen furniture.
Inv l'opt VI lcO' StJ Ill lIf titlllllp Ill
the glowing light of n pitch knot fire, or read
their weekly newspapers by the Pickering
light Of a "tallow dip;" now, in city and vii
lage, their apartments are bright with the
flame of the gas.jct or the softer radiance of
kerosene
Then II the fire went out upon the hearth
it was rekindled by coal from negnhor.
ing hearth, or by flint steel and tmdcr.--
Those who INDUCED in pipes and cigars
could light them only by some hcarthStone;
to-day we light fire and pipes by the dormant
fireworks in the match safe, AT cost of one
hundredth of n cent.
In those days we guessed the hour of noon,
or asccrtainca it by the creeping of the sun.
light up To the "noon-mark' drawn upon the
floor; only the wellto.do could afford a clock.
To-day who does not carry a watch? And
as for clocks, you may purchase them at
wholesale, by the cartload, 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 Autograph? How many
pianos or parlor organs were there then .
Reed organs Were not invented till 1910, and
now they are in every village.
Some who may read this article remember
that in 1880 the Bible, the almanac and the
few textbooks used in school, We're almost
the only volumes of the household The die
tionary was volume -four inches square and
an inch and a-half in thickness. In some of
the country villages few public-spirited men
had gathered Libraries containing from three
TO five hundred volumes; in contrast the pub
lie libraries of the present, containing
more than ten thousand volumes, have an ag.
gregatc of 10,950,00O volumes, not including
the Sundayschool and private libraries of the
country. 1t is estimated that altogether the
number of volumes accessible to the public is
not less than 20,000,000! OF Wcbster's and
Worccstcr's dictionaries, it may be said that
enough have been published to supply one to
every one hundred inhabitants of the United
Statcs.--1HaHtic Nonthln