The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-05-31
When Our GrandfatheIr wer.- =

49, AL - Is k.Gs 1VJes
Our youthful readers can sc.ro.,
form an idea of the world as their OrseS
fathers saw it, in the DAYS when T I.tu'
Quincy Adams was President yum
T. Boys who went to boarl;ns,
thirty miles from home hads.sS',a Ssa ~
ride Of five or six hours To endr,o 80
representing to the weather. i ~ =
boys We're apt to perch on the os,is; AZ
seats. In muddy seasons the ara 49,, -
SIX hours would stretch out to ten sv; u.
q possible alienation Of dinner at ~. ls,l
Halfway House. e II - quo
II they were homesicl,. or wanda
box of good things for solaee t,''I tsa :
paused De1ore writing letter to reflect
that their "Honored Parents wo rr1Ss
have to pay twenty-five cents uosts soa
on the ePistle.. Now, honored 'pareIis
who paid so much for a letter expected
it to contain good deal Of matter cor
rectly spelled, On large and clear
sheet of paper - Z 's''I7 ES~A
Envelopes were not then used h
cause they would have made the letter.
''double," which doubled the. poStag.
Each and every Enclosure was chargsd
one rate. Thus, letter in ali enyelona
inelosing a dollar bill would have cdss
seyenty-tive cents postage.
Hence, very large sheets of letter.
paper were used, especially bv atfec.
tienate mothers when writing 10 their
sons; at school. Often, when the tender
soul had filed four immense paces Win
family news and good advice 20 :, INV
dearest boy,n she would still have
something more to say, and then she
would cross herwriting to save an extrs
postage. This crossing was a sore trjal
to impatient youth, who did not in thos6
days read any writing with perfect
facility. sN'e'y.
1t was high art then to fold a.letter
nicely. Years elapsed before bow
could tuck in the outside lap with0nt
any bulge at the ends, and make 4 neaA.
compact, wellshaped packet. Soma
clumsy-fngered fellows never could ret
the knack of it. To all such the enveIopo
was, indeed, a precious boon. ~
1t was considered q frightful vuleafity
sixty years ago to seal a letter with any,
thing but sea1ing-wax. This was Yefy
awkward article IN q Southern 81 East
Indian mailbag, as at bightenapefa-
ture it melted and stuck the letters to-
gether. The operation III sealing, too.
was one that baffied tie sehOol-hoy and
often burned his fingers. Ii had To 81
done, however, even after the post-ofice
chiefs had given palylie netice Of the in
convenience to YhiehliBsubjecte them.
1t was only the envelope that endea the
wax nuisance. ~ *@
u Everything was mare difficult then
than now. In 1924, the daily stare for
the city of Washington left New York
at three in the morning. and I man
went round the town at two to call up
the passengers; so that when the stage
came for them, it might not be kept
Waiting vgy long. If all wentw tie
passengers reached Washington THE next
morning soon after sunrise.
Those were the times when college
students were fined ten dollars for going
to the theater, and it vas feckonedtm-
becoming in Clergyman to have q copy
of Shakespeare in his house.
RlAt that remote period, before TIE Erie
Canal was finished, what was the largest
inland town of the United Statesp tt
was Lancaster in Pennsylvania, With 3
of something less than four
thousand!- YOUTHS Competition