The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-11-10
How We Lived Forty Years Ago.
CANDIDATES.

TO go back forty years, fully as
useful a contrast and as instructive a
comparison may be made as to bring
the early settler from England, Hol-
land, and France in opposition to
their descendants of two hundred
years later. In 1843 and for some
period thence onward, money, as cur.
rency, was scarce. Possibly general
business suffered for want of the me-
dunn of exchange. Money, in bills
or coin, had value that would be
looked upon now as almost a wor.
Shipping of fetch. Zone dollar a
day" was "a good days pay" and
so it was considered even for fairly
sklllful labor. Several men, for in
stance, were employed in squaring,
by chalk line and broad ak, the
round timbers to form the framing of
a dam. Others bored the holes for
mortises and chiseled them out. 9th
ers did the 'scribing,' the saving,
and dressing of the lemons. Few of
them got oyer one and quarter dol
lars per day "from sunup to sun
down." The man who could "scribe,"
and who laid out the job, got perhaps
one dollar and fifty cents. The ma
chinist got from one dollar and fifty
to two dollars per hay and he who
got the two dollars was fortunate
man and for that time he was a
competent man. Laborers had fifty
cents per day, and in haying time.
when several days. ordinary work
must be crowded into twelve, four
teen. or possibly, sixteen hours, they
got seventy five cents. Special work.
men, apt at any jobs, one dollar.
Now this is fair show ing of the
value of labor forty years ago. What
was the relative value of housing,
fuel, food, and clothing? Rents were
low. A good house for the times
cost from sos to $40 per year. Fuel
-wood-was somewhat less than it
can be furnished, as coal now, at any
place remote from the mines say for
an ordinary family six cords of hick-
Dry, $24, now four tons of coal 1.-TWO
fires), about equal, Food cost less
forty years ago than now but it was
not the same food. Fresh meat once,
or at most twice, week, and rarely
that except in ''the killing season )"
fish caught at the stream or pond. or
hawked about at four cents pound
dressed. Vegetables from the gar
den, or from the market at twenty
five cents a bushel for potatoes and
less price for turnips. Onions almost
as dear as now. and cabbages no
cheaper. Clothing can be bought
cheaper now than it could be forty
years ago, and it is cheaper in more
than one sense. Perhaps it would be
better for the country at large if bet
ter clothing at higher prices should
be the rule.
1t is scarcely necessary to add to
show we lived forty years ago" any
statement of how we lived or how
we might live now. 1t is enough
to the present Garner of his bread by
labor to know of the annoyances and
lack of opportunities of his predeces-
sor. A glance over the condition of
forty years ago and the present con-
dition will convince any unprecedented
mind that an Improvement has been
made in the condition of our workers,
and that the worker of to-day gets
better return for his labor than he
did forty years ago. And this state
ment applies as nearly to the unskill-
ed worker rs to the adept mechanic.
Only that the advantage now, as ever
before, holds with the intelligent,
skilled, experienced mechanic. Only
that the advantage now, as ever be.
fore, holds with the intelligent, skill
ed, experienced mechanic Scientific
! american.